Toward A New Two-State Solution

by Mitchell Plitnick You have to admire the tenacity of J Street, the self-proclaimed “pro-Israel, pro-peace” lobbying group. Or maybe it’s the desperation born of running out of options. In any case, if there is to be any hope for… Continue Reading

Is the Pope’s Safety Threatened by Israeli Jewish Extremists?

by Marsha B. Cohen Israel is putting up more than its usual security measures for the arrival of an important person, Pope Francis, who will be visiting the Holy Land May 24-26. He’ll be the third pope to visit Jerusalem since… Continue Reading

The U.S. Military’s New Normal in Africa

A Secret African Mission and an African Mission that’s No Secret by Nick Turse* What is Operation New Normal? It’s a question without an answer, a riddle the U.S. military refuses to solve. It’s a secret operation in Africa that no… Continue Reading

New Gestures to Opposition Unlikely to Change U.S. Syria Policy

by Jim Lobe* Despite new gestures of support for the Syrian opposition, the administration of President Barack Obama is unlikely to change its longstanding policy of restraining U.S. involvement in the country’s more than three-year-old civil war, according to experts… Continue Reading

A Tragedy of Errors: U.S. Incompetence in Israel-Palestine Talks, Part II

by Mitchell Plitnick In part one of this piece, I began sketching the picture that emerges from the words of U.S. diplomats to an Israeli reporter. There’s more here, and the image is one of the United States as the… Continue Reading