Gelb (again) vs. Obama on the legacy of Machiavelli
June 29, 2009 3 min. read

Professor of English David Bromwich contrasts the arguments in Leslie Gelb’s new book Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy with Obama’s speech at Cairo University in this week’s New York Review of Books. (One has to appreciate the unorthodoxy of this assembly: a doctor of literature reviews a speech and a […]

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Khodorkovsky: A Prisoner of the 90s
June 29, 2009 3 min. read

For his birthday on Friday, Russia’s most famous prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky held an online Q&A with readers of Gazeta.ru, a popular online daily. In it he defends himself against allegations of robber-baronism and asset stripping, and says: “I decided to take the risk and have never felt sorry for that”. But much more interesting than […]

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American Support for Settlements
June 28, 2009 2 min. read

Even though U.S. policy unequivocally opposes all forms of settlement activity in the West Bank, Americans remain a staunch pillar of financial support for settlers, according to an op-ed in today’s Washington Post. The author cites multiple organizations in North America that function as non-profit organizations in support of settlements. Moreover, many Christian groups support […]

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South Africa Diary #3
June 28, 2009 4 min. read

Yesterday saw me sampling the good, the bad, and the ugly of travel in South Africa. The Good: The Springbok game was all I could have hoped for. The Lions came out storming, compensating for their sins of last week by controlling the pack and taking the fight to a Springbok squad that seemed lackluster […]

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In Lebanon, a unified government emerging
June 28, 2009 4 min. read

It has been nearly three weeks since the Lebanese parliamentary elections, and the current climate of cooperation and reconciliation is cause for optimism. The highly contentious June 7 elections pitted Amal and Hizballah, along with General Aoun’s Christian Free Patriotic Movement bloc against the Saad Hariri-led March 14 coalition composed of Sunni, Christian, and Druze […]

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South Africa Diary #2
June 27, 2009 2 min. read

It’s game day here in South Africa as in a few hours the Springboks will take the field for their second test match against the British and Irish Lions at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld, home of the Blue Bulls, and which arguably represents the Afrikaner heart of Springbok pride.   last night the pubs were swarming with […]

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Veggie Mondays In Israel
June 26, 2009 1 min. read

Put the kabobs, shishlik, shwarma, and gefilta fish down for at least one day a week. A new initiative is set to launch in Israel to encourage residents to dine vegetarian-freindly at least once a week. Because of the environmentally conscious attributes of vegetarianism, the new initiative urges restaurants to publish veggi-friendly specials on Mondays. Ilan Gur, […]

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Putin's New Gravediggers?
June 25, 2009 2 min. read

“What the bourgeoisie therefore produces, above all, are its own grave-diggers”, wrote two men much wiser and more bearded than I. “But not only has the bourgeoisie forged the weapons that bring death to itself; it has also called into existence the men who are to wield those weapons: the proletarians”. It looks as though […]

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Shalit Abduction At Third Anniversary
June 25, 2009 2 min. read

For three whole years, abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit remains in the hands of Hamas. Israelis have persistently protested outside the Prime Minister’s office to strive for Shalit’s release by exchanging hundreds of prisoners for the soldier. However, the government thus far has refused to release the prisoners, specifically those directly involved in terror attacks […]

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