For all the talk of globalization, until quite recently the world did not look flat or well integrated when seen from most Central Asian airports. Many capital cities in Central Asia, like Tashkent, Bishkek, or Dushanbe offered primarily flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other Russian cities popular for the hundreds of thousands of labor […]

“Crisis in the eurozone” stories are getting boring and this is one two year old soap opera the world would just as soon see disappear. Nevertheless it grinds on; yesterday the German finance minister said it could go on for another two years.  Unfortunately, he’s right.But while the news from Europe is complicated and inconclusive […]

The leadup to the fateful meeting this past Tuesday between Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel was billed as a make-or-break moment for the foundering European Union. The European commentariat worked overtime to heighten the drama. “Berlin officials had worked feverishly behind the scenes to create the best possible impression of harmony before the visit, and […]

I have before me a little eight-sheet brochure called “Guide To Jewish TV Programs.” It is advertising something called “The Jewish Channel”, abbreviated TJC, with a little Star of David above the “J”—very cute. Inside, the brochure refers to TJC as “A Jewish HBO”, quoting, apparently, the New York Times. From the brochure, one can […]

There is a particularly interesting article in today’s Washington Post on the situation in Syria. It is closer to news analysis than it is to a straight news article, which explains the sharp discrepancy between today’s Post coverage and that in the New York Times.The latter reports specifically on a group of UN-sponsored observers, in […]

In the words of “Monty Python and the Flying Circus”—now for something completely different:When I started writing this blog, I had no preconceived idea about the frequency or schedule of its postings. After a while it became clear to me that once a week was about the right frequency (since there are a few other […]

Remember when Occupy Wall Street was sweeping the nation? The media branded it the left’s answer to the Tea Party, the start of a grand national mobilization; depending on who you ask, half of America once supported the OWS protestors, double the amount who back the Tea Party. The Huffington Post even launched a separate […]

For many Poles and Jews it came as a pleasant surprise when the United States announced on April 23 that it was awarding Jan Karski (1914–2000) the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. While Karski was indeed one of the greatest heroes of the 20th century, his accomplishment—risking his […]

I’m really happy to announce that my latest book, Political Writing: A Guide to the Essentials, is being published today by M.E. Sharpe.Before anyone gets too excited about this (yes, that’s a joke….) let me note that this book is not like Telltale Hearts (1995) or Jewcentricity (2009). It is more of a “how to” book: […]

In my most recent post on Syria, I wrote that one “likely result” of a salafi Sunni political surge in Syria would be “a new [Lebanese] civil war, with a beginning epicenter most like in and around Tripoli.” I didn’t realize how soon this would become apparent.Apparently, according to the Associated Press, battles broke out Saturday […]