Erika Schelby

Erika Schelby is a contributor to the Observatory and author of Looking for Humboldt and Searching for German Footprints in New Mexico and Beyond (Lava Gate Press, 2017) and Liberating the Future from the Past? Liberating the Past from the Future? (Lava Gate Press, 2013), which was shortlisted for the International Essay Prize Contest by the Berlin-based cultural magazine Lettre International. Schelby lives in New Mexico.

November 9, 2026

Diplomacy/Editorials

Maldives Abuse Scandal and a Former UN President

Editorial The arrest of Abdulla Shahid, former Foreign Minister of the Maldives and President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, over allegations of sexually abusing a minor is

Columns/Geopolitics

The Midterms Just Made the World More Dangerous

After being massively repudiated in Tuesday’s midterm election, Donald Trump has become a lame-duck president with significantly curtailed authority. What is likely to happen in the remaining two years until a new chief executive is sworn in on January 20,

November 9, 2026

Sri Lanka Navy Secures Top Ranking at National Productivity Awards

News/Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka Navy has secured first place in the Public Sector Inter-Departmental Category at the National Productivity Awards 2025/26, emerging as one of

Blue Moon Over Trump’s La La Land

Columns/Geopolitics

That was exquisite, but not surprising. The result was a manifestation of frustration and anger towards Trump, and it cannot be mistaken for a

The Intricate Connection of Birdsongs to Human Language

February 13, 2025

Columns

Birdsongs have inspired poets and lovers, becoming one of the philosophical focal points in ancient Greece and Rome. They have also led to several long-ago debates about the relationship between birdsong and human language.

Sustainability Is Not as New an Idea as You Might Think—It’s More Than 300 Years Old

August 30, 2023

Defence/Diplomacy/Geopolitics/United States

The proverb “necessity is the mother of invention” has roots that go back to Aesop’s fable “The Crow and the Pitcher” and to Plato’s “Republic.” It is realistic to assume that Hans