Closing Arguments in the American Presidential Campaign
More Essays
More on JST
American Priorities for Engaging the Iranian Opposition
In September 2022, Iranians from all walks of life took to the streets against the ruling clerical regime. The immediate cause was the brutal death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini at the hands of regime security forces for the crime of improperly wearing her Islamic headscarf or hijab. The grassroots protests quickly transformed into something else: […]
Egypt’s Somalia Gamble
In late September, an Egyptian naval vessel docked in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to offload a shipment of weaponry including anti-aircraft guns and artillery, many of them outdated and some even World War II-vintage. It was Egypt’s second major delivery. A month before, two Egyptian C-130s landed at Mogadishu’s international airport to deliver a […]
Elon Musk and The Allure of the American Spirit
In a world ensnared by armed conflicts and rising tensions, youth today — especially in regions like the Middle East and Africa – face a crisis of purpose. They grapple with feelings of isolation, disillusionment, or the lure of extremism. They need more than just political solutions or economic reforms. We must rekindle a dream—one […]
Under Lula, Brazil Aims High But Falls Short
When Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to Brazil’s presidency in 2023, it was clear that he wished to restore the high international profile which Brazil had enjoyed during his first two terms, 2003-2010. International expectations were high given that his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, had been largely uninterested in foreign policy. However, Lula has faced […]
Central Europe’s Far-Right on a Roll
This past September I visited the refurbished Wien Museum which covers Austria’s history from the bronze age until the present. Perhaps the most stimulating exhibition was a new one on the top floor that surveys the Nazi era. It’s called “Laboratory of Cruelty.” In its previous incarnation, the museum did not trouble itself to mention […]
Two State Solution
Temporarily Closed for Renovations
Temporarily Closed for Renovations
Four months after October 7, 2023 I met an Egyptian acquaintance, and we tried to make sense of the situation. He offered the thought that “the two-state solution was never as relevant as it is now. Everyone understands that the Palestinian issue is back on the global agenda, and it is understood that there is no […]
WIll the Next International Crisis Be in Africa?
The United States is focused on three big global challenges. In the Middle East, it struggles to prevent a full regional war while supporting its ally Israel; in Europe, it supplies Ukraine with arms to blunt the Russians; and in the Western Pacific it strengthens a network of alliances to contain Chinese expansionism. Meanwhile, the […]
Going on Offense, Designating the Muslim Brotherhood
“Dad, open your WhatsApp and see the [photos of] dead Jews. Your son has killed Jews.” “God bless you.” “Dad, I’m calling you from the phone of a Jew! I just killed her and her husband, with my own hands.” – Intercepted cellphone call, October 7, from Hamas elite unit member One unanswered question is […]
Azerbaijan Between Triumph and Turbulence
Over the course of 33 years since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has transformed into an independent regional player. Its neighbors in Armenia fear that Azerbaijan’s ambitions will eventually lead to another war. Average Azerbaijanis, meanwhile, wonder when the military achievements will translate into economic prosperity. Regaining Territory Through War It’s impossible to […]
What the US Needs to Understand to Prevail in a Conflict over Taiwan
China is steadily increasing coercive measures against Taiwan, but they remain to date below the threshold of military conflict. What is the point at which China’s coercion transitions to the use-of-military force consistent with war? Essentially, when does coercion end and conflict begin? Making that determination will be critical to United States responses. Enhancing understanding of […]
The Hostages
There are two sets of hostages in Gaza and both require American leadership to be free. Less than two weeks after their emotional address at the Democratic National Convention on behalf of their son, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin were told that he was found dead in a tunnel below Rafah. Hersh was one of […]
On Being a Progressive Zionist
Since the terrible events of October 7th, some Israelis claim there is no longer any distinction between left and right – Israelis were massacred regardless of political affiliations. At the same time, around the world there is an increasingly binary view of political identity, which claims that a person can be either a Zionist or […]
Forging a Better Partnership with Guatemala
Guatemala could become a key partner in the US efforts to manage migration flows from Central and South America. Looking ahead, whoever is elected the next president of the United States, either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, will look to Guatemala to help manage migration in the countries south of Mexico. Guatemala has been a […]
Taiwan’s Ongoing Business Ties with Russia
When a country’s government enacts sanctions against another country, individual firms in the country are left to determine whether to comply or seek sanctions-flouting workarounds to keep goods and services flowing. This is the reality faced by thousands of firms worldwide that buy from and sell to Russia, the world’s twelfth largest economy by nominal […]
The Wars in Gaza and Ukraine Are the Same War
The deep partisan divisions in the United States affect many public issues, including the ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East. The Israeli war of self-defense in Gaza commands strong support among Republicans but elicits less enthusiasm among Democrats. By contrast, Democrats generally endorse Ukraine’s war of self-defense against Russia, following the lead of […]
Book Reviews
What the United States Should and Should Not Do in the Middle East
The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present and Future in the Middle East by Steven Cook, Oxford University Press, 2024 In the third of the three Godfather movies, Al Pacino, playing Michael Corleone, laments his inability to make a complete break with the family’s criminal past: “Just when I thought I was out,” he exclaims […]
A Case for Annexing the West Bank
One Jewish State, The Last, Best Hope to Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, by David Friedman. Humanix Books, 2024. In late October of 1948, the young state of Israel launched an offensive against the seven Arab armies that had invaded it five months earlier. The Israelis attacked the Egyptian army (including Sudanese, Saudi and Muslim Brotherhood […]
Learning from the Democratic and Authoritarian Leaders of the Recent Past
The Titans of the Twentieth Century: How They Made History and the History They Made by Michael Mandelbaum. Oxford University Press, 2024 Michael Mandelbaum, the Christian A. Herter Professor Emeritus at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, has written numerous books on international affairs. A recent work, The Four Ages of American Foreign […]
Videos
Interview with Gadi Taub
Gadi Taub: I believed in Oslo [the 1990s Palestinian-Israeli peace process] because I imagined the Palestinians to be like us. I imagined their national liberation movement to be a national liberation movement just like ours. Then reality just exploded outside my window. Tel Aviv is small. So from where I lived back then, when a […]
Interview with Shadow Fatah Leader Samer Sinijlawi
Ksenia Svetlova: You see how time and again people in the West Bank and in Gaza, even more so in the West Bank than in Gaza, say yes, we support Hamas. Samer Sinijlawi: I would not rely on polls very much during these days, not to test the feelings of the Palestinians and not to […]
Video Interview with Uzi Arad
The JST’s Ksenia Svetlova interviews Israel’s former National Security Advisor Uzi Arad, about a strategy to counter Iran and the current war in Gaza. This transcript is lightly edited for clarity and concision. Ksenia Svetlova: Did Israel ever encounter something similar to Iran’s power, determination and also the number of proxies spread around the Middle East […]