Category: Islam


Is This Lobby Different From All Others?

The American relationship with Israel is both a political and an intellectual challenge for some students of foreign affairs.  Convinced that US national interests would be best served by distancing ourselves from the Jewish state, scholars try to figure out why our country behaves in this seemingly self-defeating way.
The problem is particularly tough for hard [...]




The Israel Lobby and Gentile Power

The more I’ve studied the long-term politics of Zionism in the United States, the more I’ve been struck by a paradox.  While most people see the Israel lobby as an attempt to use Jewish financial and electoral power to impose a special Jewish agenda on American foreign policy, it hasn’t actually worked that way.
In the [...]




Don’t Blame The Jews

Many people think that Jewish lobbying, pressure and influence dragged a reluctant Uncle Sam into the Middle East.  Think again.
Now it’s true that American opposition to Zionism has a long and distinguished pedigree.  In the 19th century, American missionaries built a network of colleges and hospitals across what was then the Ottoman Empire and what [...]




The Night Yasser Arafat Kissed Me

The stars were sparking over Gaza on the unforgettable night when Yasser Arafat kissed me — gently, tenderly, sincerely.  I’ve rarely felt more relaxed or more comfortable with a world leader; he was kneading my shoulders and massaging my back at the time.  As the tension of a hard day drained out of me, I [...]




Thinking the Unthinkable: War With Iran

“Do not even think about bombing Iran,” wrote Michael O’Hanlon and Bruce Reidel in yesterday’s Financial Times.  Pointing out that the US has two unpopular and unfinished wars in the region already, and that the damage from any military strikes on the Islamic Republic would be unlikely to do enough damage to its nuclear program [...]




Antisemitism Saturday

Antisemitism is never a great subject to discuss, but there are two good reasons for posting on it today.  One is that the entire internet has been aflame with the feud between Andrew Sullivan and his longtime mentor Leon Wieseltier, and the question of whether Sullivan is an antisemite has gotten half the country’s bloggers [...]




One For All

Back in the beginning of the Christmas season, I wrote about the way the gospel Christmas narratives “roll the credits” by giving genealogical tables that link Jesus to Jewish history.  In contemplating Christmas, we should never forget that the first Christmas was first and foremost a Jewish event.  Mary, Joseph, the innkeeper, the shepherds, the [...]




God’s Dilemma

Greetings once again from sunny Belize.  Although I am blogging from a lovely beachside cabana with tropical breezes gently keeping the heat (and the insects) at bay as I lazily contemplate the snorkeling expedition we have planned for the afternoon, this point in the new year always reminds me of a fresh snowfall covering the [...]




Meaning in Three Dimensions

Now it gets tough.  That little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying so cutely in the manger is the biggest trouble maker in world history, and the shocking claims that Christianity makes about who he is and what he means divide Christians not only from atheists and agnostics, but also splits Christians off from [...]




Born of a WHAT?!

It is not quite the most controversial verse in the Bible, but Luke 1:35 comes close.  Mary has just replied to the angel Gabriel’s statement that she will be the mother of the Messiah with a question of her own:  “How shall this be,” she says in the words of the King James Version, “seeing I [...]




Alien-Worshipping Sex Cultist in International Standoff

International politics is a strange business, as this Turkish press report reminds us.
The core of the story is this: Negar Azizmoradi is an Iranian citizen.  She is also the head of the “Raelian” group in Iran and is currently seeking asylum in Turkey, due to a fear of persecution back home in Iran.
Ms. Azizmoradi’s concerns [...]




The Fall of Jerusalem

Ninety-two years ago today, British forces entered Jerusalem as the Ottoman Empire retreated from Palestine during World War One.
General Edmund Allenby, leader of the British forces, entered the Holy City on foot, issuing a proclamation that promised to respect the rights of all three religions for whom Jerusalem has a special significance.  The entry on foot [...]




From the March/April 2010 issue

Behind the Settlements

West Bank settlements hollow out respect for the law in the State of Israel.

Are the Settlements Illegal?

Answering that question is a pitfall the Obama Administration has been wise to avoid.

Allies Divided

Israel and America have long taken opposite approaches to managing Palestinians and other Arabs.

The Outpatient Prison

How to lower both the prison population and crime—at the same time.

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