In this increasingly hostile world of ours, it is only natural to search for even the slightest hint that peace may be possible. As I watched the news last night, two such hints came into sharp focus right before my …
Posted in Current Events, Foreign Affairs, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Regional Issues, Saudi Arabia, USA | Tagged Hamas, Iran, Palestine | Leave a commentPeople the world over cry out for “freedom,” but how often do we sit down and think about what it really means to be free? Over the years, different people the world over embraced different interpretations of “freedom.” Janice Joplin …
Posted in Education, Ethics, Foreign Affairs, Freedom of Speech, Middle East, Philosophy, Politics, USA | Tagged Freedom, Libya, Syria | 2 CommentsIn this ambiguous world of ours it is often difficult to find moral clarity, even when it comes to seemingly black and white issues like 9/11 and the Arab Spring. And the question arises therefore: How do we bring moral …
Posted in Current Events, Democracy, Demonstrations, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Regional Issues, Terrorism, USA, War | Tagged 9/11, A New Model for the Middle East, Arab Spring | 1 CommentTen years after September 11, 2001, we still have the choice of continuing the same policies that lead to war and conflict or to insist on human rights and hold violators accountable. September brings back memories of atrocities ranging from …
Posted in Foreign Affairs, Palestine, USA | Tagged 9/11, Palestine, USA | 1 CommentRelations between Turkey and Israel have been strained to the breaking point, ever since nine Turkish activists on the Mavi Marmara tried to run Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, and were killed by Israeli naval commandos in May of last …
Posted in Current Events, Foreign Affairs, Israel, Palestine, Palestine/Israel, Politics, Regional Issues, Turkey | 16 CommentsIn the Wild, Wild West, American settlers used to “circle the wagons” when their wagon train came under attack. Some of Israel’s lawmakers are doing something similar in our time. Faced with a barrage of international criticisms, and with a …
Posted in Activism, Awareness, Censorship, Civil Rights, Current Events, Democracy, Demonstrations, Foreign Affairs, Freedom of Speech, Israel, Middle East, Palestine/Israel, Politics, Regional Issues | 11 CommentsThe recent agreement in April between Fatah and Hamas has paved the way for Palestinians to act unilaterally, this coming September, to ask the U.N. to declare a Palestinian State on the basis of the 1967 borders. By some estimates, …
Posted in Current Events, Demonstrations, Foreign Affairs, Israel, Palestine, Palestine/Israel, Politics, Regional Issues | Leave a commentEvery once in a while we come to believe that the ends justify the means. But most of the time we scramble to find the means to a given end. And if we don’t find the right means, then the …
Posted in Arabs, Awareness, Current Events, Democracy, Demonstrations, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Middle East, Regional Issues | Leave a commentPeace between Israel and Palestine is becoming even more important now than ever before. There are, however, forces at work which are pushing the peace process forward, and others which are holding it back. Both Netanyahu and Abbas are coming …
Posted in Awareness, Current Events, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Israel, Palestine, Palestine/Israel, Politics, Regional Issues | 11 CommentsWhere is the vision? Where are we heading? And how do we get there? For some reason, when it comes to the Middle East, people the world over seem to content themselves with half measures and short-sighted thinking. We feel …
Posted in Activism, Current Events, Demonstrations, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Issues and Causes, Middle East, Regional Issues | Leave a comment