As people have pointed out in the comments, author is Editor in Chief of Critical Arts. Relevant for potential conflict of interest given this paragraph:

Taylor & Francis in particular, via a development strategy with selected South African journals, initially facilitated by the National Research Foundation and Unisa Press, helped to position many of these titles as global, rather than only local. In so doing, they catapulted South African authors into global research networks.

Hdt. 5.101 The Ionians burn Sardis to the ground 498 BCE The Achaemenid Empire is not indestructible. Even the Ionians (notorious servant folk) can be convinced to revolt.

Hdt. 5.96 Athenians refuse to take Hippias back, thus making their dispute with the Achaemenid Empire public (so it shall be war between us). The Achaemenid are no longer the only open aggressors on the board, free to build their empire at will. Now the threatened territories challenging their authority. This sets up the conflict between the states and also echoes Herodotus' idea of cyclical nations. Nations move from barbarism to simple, masculine, civilization to effeminate opulence. Once a nation reaches a level of effeminate opulence it will surely fall to a more rugged simple-living people.

Hdt. 5.34 After approving his plan with Darius and Artaphrenes, Aristagoras sets out to attack Naxos. The Naxians surprisingly outlast the attacking Achaemenid forces, enduring a four month siege. The prolonged siege leaves Aristagoras bankrupt...

Hdt. 5.25 Otanes follows Megabazos in the line of Darius' generals. He goes on a shopping spree of the Aegean islands capturing Byzantium, Calchedon, Antandrus, Lamponium, Lemnos, and Imbros. This extends Achaemenid control out of Asia and the Hellespont into the Aegean Sea, directly threatening mainland Greece.

Hdt. 5.1 Megabazus, as a proxy of Darius and the Achaemenid Empire, subdues the Perinthians living near the Hellespont.

1.28. The Landmark Herodotus dates this to 560-547 BC.

1.26. Croesus attacks the Ionian and Aeolian cities on various pretexts, probably ca. 560-550 BC.

1.18. The chronology is confused, but the Landmark Herodotus suggests 610-598 BC (p. 12).

1.15. According to the Landmark Herodotus, which cites Assyrian documentary sources, the capture of Sardis by the Cimmerians took place in 644, at which time Gyges was killed.

1.15. Ardys, Gyges' son, also makes war on the Milesians.

1.15. Gyges engages in conflict with the Ionian cities on the coast of Asia Minor nearest to Lydia. The Lydian kings appear to have a particular antipathy to the Milesians.

1.16. Alyattes, king of Lydia, wages ware against the Medes under Cyaxares, probably in the late 7th or early 6th c. BC.

1.214 The persian Army is destroyed and Cyrus is killed in a great battle with the Massagetai.

1.211 Croesus' stratagem succeeds. the Persians destroy one third of the Massagetai force and capture Tomyris' son, Spargapises.

1.201 After concurring the Babylonians Cyrus turns his attention to the Massegetai, determined to add them to his growing Achaemenid Empire.

1.191 Cyrus and the Persian army attack Babylon by lowering the level of the Euphrates and takes the city by surprise.

1.188 Cyrus attacks Nitokris' son Labynetos of Babylon as part of his conquest of Assyria.

1.178 Cyrus decides to attack Babylon and all of Assyria. This passage marks the end of Harpagos's conquering of Asia Minor (all of which has now come under the power of the Achaemenids).

1.175 The Pedaseans are the only one among the Carians to hold out against Harpagos for an extended period of time. Herodotus demarcates them from the rest of the subjugated peoples of Asia Minor.

1.174 In Harpagos's conquest of Ionia and Aeolia for the Achaemenid Empire, he engaged the Lacedaemonian settlers in Triopion and conquered them without too much trouble.

1.171 Harpagos goes on a veritable shopping spree of acquisitions for the Achaemenid Empire, including the Lycian in the region of Lycia in Asia Minor.

1.171 Harpagos goes on a veritable shopping spree of acquisitions for the Achaemenid Empire, including the Carians in the region of Caria in Asia Minor.

1.171 Harpagos goes on a veritable shopping spree of acquisitions for the Achaemenid Empire, including the Caunuans in the city of Caunus .

1.169 The Ionian islands and the rest of Ionian are conquered by Harpagos and Cyrus for the growing Achaemenid Empire.

1.168 The Teians of the island Teos pull the same disappearing act the Phocaeans pulled in 1.164, escaping the siege of Harpagos and the Persian Army by abandoning the city to the Achaemenid general.

1.164 The Phocaeans escape from Harpagos and the Persian Army as the siege lines retreat.

1.163 Harpagos, a general and representative of the Achaemenids, begins his conquest of Ionia in the name of Cyrus. His conquest starts at Phocaea and captures the city with a siege.

1.80 After the battle, the defeated Medes retreat and the Persian Army lays siege to the city of Sardis.

1.76 The forces of Cyrus and Croesus engage in battle near Pteria , Cappadocia. Neither side is victorious but there were huge losses on each side.

1.128 Another battle ensues and Astyages is defeated once again by Cyrus. This time he is taken prisoner by Cyrus and loses his army.

1.127 A battle between the forces of Astyages and Cyrus occurs

Hdt. 1.5 The Persians say Troy began their hatred of the Greeks.

Hdt. 1.4 The Persians say the Greeks were to blame; the Greeks invaded Asia before the Persians attacked Europe.

Hdt. 1.1 The Persians blame the Phoenicians for their dispute.

Mazares sends a message to the Cymeans to negotiate the return of Pactyes the rabble-rouser.

1.157 Pactyes escapes to Cyme in order to avoid the wrath of Cyrus and the approaching Persian army. This vignette of conflict within the Achaemenids/Persians is still a long way from its conclusion.

1.154 Division within the Persians. Pactyes revolts against Cyrus, taking over the treasury of Sardis and leading a rebellion.

The Persian army lays siege to Sardis, the capitol and last foothold of Croesus and the Medes. In the culmination of this siege, Croesus's forces will be overcome and the monarch himself will be captured by his enemies, fulfilling the prophecy from 1.13 and reiterated in 1.53.

1.80.5 Cyrus scores a definitive victory over the forces of Croesus, employing camel cavalry corps. This is the beginning of the end for Croesus who begins grasping at strings and looking for allies to help him defeat the Persians.

The following website suggests that the picture at the top of this article doesn't represent what is implied. Indeed, the title suggests that the graph represents radioactive waters spreading through the ocean, but the following website says "the map was created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to chart wave patterns from the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake". Check it out: http://www.ultraculture.org/fukushima-scare-picture-fake/

This goes back to the idea of caring about what the world thinks of you causing self conflict in inopportune moments.