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In response to incessant rocket fire from Gaza, Israel retaliated with a military offensive. Since then, dozens of Israelis and more than 600 Palestinians have been killed (BBC, July 23, 2014). Reacting to the carnage, “The UN’s top human rights official has condemned Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip, saying that war crimes may have been committed… She also condemned Hamas for ‘indiscriminate attacks’ on Israel” (ibid.). However, the EU has offered another perspective.

Less than a year after Typhoon Haiyan (the strongest storm ever to hit land) struck the Philippines and killed more than 6,300 people, another powerful storm, Typhoon Rammasun (a Thai word for god of thunder), packing 100 mph winds pounded the Philippines this week. The typhoon toppled trees, destroyed thousands of homes, displaced nearly half a million people and left some 40 people dead (Houston Chronicle, July 16, 2014).

Germany’s fourth World Cup championship has rekindled long-suppressed feelings of pride and patriotism in a nation that has felt constrained by its militaristic past. However, the victory could be one more critical factor in the transformation of a nation that is at a crossroads in its history.

“Germany may be America’s most important European ally, but the relationship between the two countries is on the rocks” following the discovery of a CIA spy in Berlin. This is just one more nail in the coffin of German-American relations following the Snowden leaks (CNN, July 11, 2014). “The New York Times soberly noted that German-American relations have reached their low point with the expulsion of the CIA’s representative from Berlin.