For the past several decades, as the leader of a unipolar world, all diplomatic pathways to peace went through Washington. Any negotiated settlement had to be an American led negotiated settlement. But enforcing hegemony means not being impartial. It means rewarding one side with weapons and diplomatic support and coercing the other with sanctions and … Continue reading “Multipolarity and Its Potentials for Peace”
November 11 Was Originally Armistice Day, a Peace Holiday
November 11, declared Armistice Day at the end of World War I, is celebrated in the U.S. as Veterans Day. Understanding why requires us to recall World War I and its aftermath. World War I was an international conflict, 1914-18, that embroiled most of the nations of Europe, along with Russia, the United States, the … Continue reading “November 11 Was Originally Armistice Day, a Peace Holiday”
Criminalizing UNRWA: How Israel Is Delegitimizing the United Nations
On October 28, the Israeli Knesset passed a second reading of two bills that effectively ban the United Nations agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) from carrying out “any activity” in Israel and occupied Palestine. Simply put, the decision is catastrophic, because UNRWA is the main international body responsible for the welfare of millions of Palestinians … Continue reading “Criminalizing UNRWA: How Israel Is Delegitimizing the United Nations”
Why Trump’s Election Could be the Best Thing for Zelensky
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, needs a way to lose the war with Russia. American voters may have just given it to him. In his victory speech early in the morning of November 6, President-Elect Donald Trump said, “I will govern by a simple motto: Promises made, promises kept. We’re going to keep our promises.” He … Continue reading “Why Trump’s Election Could be the Best Thing for Zelensky”
Some of Our Leaders Are Putting Other Countries First
Some of our leaders seem to care more about other countries, e.g., Ukraine and Israel, than they do about our own. Once again, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has come to Washington, begging for even more money, this time some $8 billion dollars. The U.S. Congress has already approved $175 billion for Ukraine in the last … Continue reading “Some of Our Leaders Are Putting Other Countries First”
How Joe Biden Could Save Lives And Change American Politics on His Way Out the Door
Wait, what? We’re talking about Joe Biden? Why? He’s a “lame duck.” No matter who wins the US presidential election on November 5, he’s going home to Delaware on January 20. His chances of asking for, and getting, much from Congress during that two-and-a-half month interregnum are negligible. But as head of the US government’s … Continue reading “How Joe Biden Could Save Lives And Change American Politics on His Way Out the Door”
‘Gaza Is Ours, Forever’ – Israel’s Extremists Have a Plan for the Day after the Genocide
Under the slogan ‘Gaza is Ours, Forever’, a large number of Israeli extremists and right-wing politicians met in the settlement of Be’eri, near the Gaza border region, on October 20-21. The group represented the who’s who in the Israeli right, far right and ultranationalists. They included Israeli Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir, May Golan and Bezalel Smotrich, … Continue reading “‘Gaza Is Ours, Forever’ – Israel’s Extremists Have a Plan for the Day after the Genocide”
Iraq Weekly Roundup: 192 Killed in October
It’s Time to Find a Way To End the War in Ukraine
For over two and a half years, a semi-proxy war has been raging in Ukraine. In a proxy war, two powers avoid direct conflict by fighting through weaker intermediary partners. The Russia-Ukraine war is a semi-proxy war because one power, Russia, is directly involved, while the other power, the U.S. and its Western partners, fights … Continue reading “It’s Time to Find a Way To End the War in Ukraine”
Biden’s Destructive Legacy
As President Biden’s term approaches its end, the US and several parts of the rest of the world are significantly worse off than they were when he took office. While the president is frequently lauded by members of the foreign policy establishment as a successful foreign policy leader, his tenure has been marked for the … Continue reading “Biden’s Destructive Legacy”