Category Archives: Situation Report

Gavin Evans: Why Blair Embraced Bush

In all the political obits this week to Tony Blair, the one theme that nobody seems to have touched is what, in his personal makeup, allowed him to move from a paid up member of the Chile Solidarity Campaign in … Continue reading

Posted in Guest Columns, Situation Report | 17 Comments

What Belfast Teaches the Middle East

Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness: hard men make a deal Yes, yes, I know, Northern Ireland and the Middle East are entirely different situation, and things that worked in one place are not going to necessarily work in the other. … Continue reading

Posted in Situation Report, Unholy War | 52 Comments

Worse Awaits Olmert, More So Israel

If you think it strange that Ehud Olmert is still prime minister of Israel even after it’s official inquiry into the war found him to be an incompetent shlemiel, that may simply be a sign of the leadership crisis in … Continue reading

Posted in Situation Report, Unholy War | 17 Comments

Gunboat Diplomacy? Not This Time

The U.S.S. Nimitz is in the Persian Gulf So, Condi Rice failed to “bump into” her Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, in Egypt last week, meaning that despite the junior-high flirtation tactics employed by the Administration, there were no direct talks … Continue reading

Posted in Situation Report, Unholy War | 11 Comments

Iraq: The Trouble With ‘Benchmarks’

Or else what, George? From my new piece at TIME.com: Now that they each have registered their respective positions about tying Iraq war funding to a withdrawal timetable, congressional Democrats and President Bush are seeking a workable compromise. The most … Continue reading

Posted in Featured Analysis, Situation Report, The 51st State | 10 Comments

The Blind Spot in Israel’s War Probe

It is tempting to congratulate Israel, as my friend and colleague Scott MacLeod has done, for holding its own leadership to account for its blunders at war. The Winograd Commission, created by the Israeli government to assess the reasons for … Continue reading

Posted in Situation Report | 21 Comments

Six ‘Rabbis’ for May Day

On we go with our list of “rabbis” for the secular and progressive-minded. May 1 being international labor day, it’s time to roll out some of my favorite Jewish lefties: 3. Joe Slovo When Joe Slovo died, the Central Committee … Continue reading

Posted in A Wondering Jew, Situation Report | 12 Comments

Why the U.S. Can’t Leave Iraq

The debate in Washington over troop withdrawals from Iraq is largely a pantomime for domestic political consumption — the Democrats are maneuvering to disassociate themselves from an unpopular war that a majority of their senators originally backed, and that they … Continue reading

Posted in Featured Analysis, Situation Report, The 51st State | 28 Comments

Three ‘Rabbis’ for Israel’s Independence Day

Continuing my series on the 50 “rabbis” (teachers) who most influenced my understanding of being Jewish in the world, I offer up three more to coincide with Israel’s Independence Day . 9. Avraham Burg Former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg was … Continue reading

Posted in Situation Report, Unholy War | 30 Comments

Aux Armes, Etcetera…

Listen to Lillian Thuram Looking at the political choices facing voters in France, today, I’m glad I’m not French — although I guess I would be if the Catholic Church hadn’t driven France’s Jews out in the 14th century, starting … Continue reading

Posted in Situation Report, Unholy War | 29 Comments