Guest Post: No Partner for Peace…Again?!
Lately, two opinion articles in Haaretz have focused on Mahmoud Abbas‘ role in the so-called “peace process,” both depicting him as a notorious naysayer but with different additives. On the one hand, we have Israel Harel, blatantly espousing his negation of international law as usual (one must only remember the cheeky article he wrote in … Read more
The “What-The-Hell-Is-Going-On” Iranian Terror Plot
Ready for some real conspiracy theory juiciness? Israeli Prime Minster Netanyahu concluded the Shalit deal with Hamas now in order to clear the path for an attack on Iran that was now possible with the American-delivered bunker buster bombs. The plot on the Saudi ambassador primed the US public for increased hostility against Iran while opening Saudi Arabia up to cooperating with Israel on the attack on Iran.
Minor Thoughts on the Shalit Deal
Both of these moves signify minor, yet important shifts in Israeli policy, but does this mean anything? Does it show an Israeli government that is belatedly reacting to its own self-isolation? Or is there something bigger afoot?
The End of the Responsibility to Protect?
My new piece is up at Foreign Policy Journal: Critics of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and interventionism in general have long accused international humanitarian action of being a form of imperialism cloaked in humanitarianism. The BRIC/IBSA countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa; hereafter referred to as BRICS) are beginning to unite … Read more
Saddam Hussein’s Doppleganger Kidnapped for Porn Film
Mohamed Bishr, an Egyptian man who greatly resembles former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, was injured last Sunday when three armed men attempted to kidnap Bishr in order to force him to impersonate Hussein in a pornographic film.
Syrians Should Blame Libya
So in the wake of the failed UNSC resolution condemning the violence in Syria, the Russian foreign ministry (Russia, along with China, vetoed the resolution) issued a statement explaining why they utilized the veto: Our wording proposals on the inadmissibility of external military intervention are not taken into account. And that, in view of the … Read more
Syria’s Civil War?
The Syrian episode of the Arab Spring seems to be stagnating in a horribly violent phase. The majority of protesters have remained true to non-violence, only to see continued repression and killing by the Assad regime (somewhere around 2,700 killed.) Some have turned to violent revolution based on the Libyan experience, though this number is reportedly in the minority. Internationally, western countries have tried and failed to pass a watered-down resolution at the United Nations, leading many to contemplate the possibility of establishing a no-fly zone over Syria.
Will Oil Drown the Libyan Revolution?
Michael Ross wrote a pretty interesting piece in the latest Foreign Affairs (subscription required) about the possibility that the prevalence of oil in many Arab countries will dampen the effects of the Arab Spring. The boiled down thesis is that monarchs and dictators who are fortunate enough to run countries blessed with immense oil wealth … Read more
Quartet’s New “Peace Initiative”
It is not surprising reading the news, after the Palestinian Authority’s bid at the United Nations, that the Quartet came out with a “new idea.” It is a nice mixture of the “same old garbage” with a tint of “we need to keep ourselves relevant.” The Quartet is this ad-hoc organization of the United States, … Read more
