Tag Archives: Barry Rubin

Speak softly and carry no stick

In Obama’s message to Iran, David Ignatius writes: The stormy Iranian elections are one more sign of how the world has been shaken up in the age of Barack Obama. The ruling mullahs are nervous about a threat to the … Continue reading

Posted in Iran, Politics | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Desperately seeking obsequiousness

Anne Bayefsky’s ongoing coverage of the preparatory sessions for the upcoming Durban II conference have been both revealing and disappointing. Her latest has this: Here is how the American delegates responded to a proposal they understood was incompatible with U.S. … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Israel Derangement Syndrome | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Experience not politics

I think that Bradley Burston – though he puts it a lot differently than I would – is making the same point I have. Or as his interviewee says (via memeorandum): “In other words,” Alkalai concludes, “the majority vote was … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time | Tagged | 1 Comment

The irony of change

I don’t have many arguments with Roger Cohen’s latest column, After the War on Terror. He’s correct that the President’s interview on Al Arabiya marks the end of the war on terror; that words are important and that President Obama … Continue reading

Posted in Iran | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Flaunting it

Back in 1988, Commentary magazine had a symposium of intellectuals discussing Israel. One of the contributors, Edward Rothstein, observed that when he drove by Judea and Samaria he was amazed by the number of TV antennas shaped like the Eiffel … Continue reading

Posted in AP Media Bias, Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time, palestinian politics | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Celine Dion on the Middle East

I’ve learned many important things from Barry Rubin. Last week’s column taught me something new: Celine Dion covered Eric Carnen’s “All by myself.” Dr. Rubin used the lyrics to illustrate the shifting sands of politics of the Middle East. For … Continue reading

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Good Government Terrorists

Barry Rubin writes about They’re Dictators and Terrorists But What Clean Streets!, after outlining the failures of Fatah, Prof. Rubin lays out the secrets of Hamas’s success. As for Hamas, it possesses three key weapons. The mainstream appeal of extremism … Continue reading

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