Global Paradigms

Steven Clemons, one of Washington's leading intellectual entrepreneurs, is following the reactions to Pat Robertson's suggestions that God was punishing Sharon for dividing the land of Israel, including the White House's reaction on his popular blog, The Washington Note . I am still hoping for a more forceful responses from American-Jewish figures who at one time or another went ballistic when, say, Jesse Jackson or Pat Buchanan made comments that were alleged to be anti-Israeli or anti-semitic. I don't recall either of the two expressing the view that Israel's Prime Minister deserved to die a slow and horrible death. And my online pal Diana Moon has some provocative stuff on Sharon on her great blog Letter from Gotham I think she makes excellent points about the need to de-romanticize Sharon. Here is what I argued in an old piece "'Courageous' Sharon 'Disengages' From Gaza" in "Chronicles" magazine You’ve probably heard the one ...

" Ich bin ein Jewish Settler " When I heard the news about Sharon I told a friend to expect one of the crazy Jewish settlers to proclaim that the Israeli PM was punished by God for the withdrawal from Gaza. Well, I was wrong. Instead, it was the most enthusiastic American supporter of the Greater Israel project, "Television evangelist" Pat Robertson who suggested on Thursday that Israeli Sharon's stroke was "divine retribution" for the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, which Robertson opposed. "He was dividing God's land, and I would say, 'Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the [European Union], the United Nations or the United States of America,'" Robertson told viewers of his long-running television show, "The 700 Club." "God says, 'This land belongs to me, and you'd better leave it alone,'" he said. More about Nutty Pat here There has been some criticism by ...

Rabin's wife accused "Bibi" of inciting against her husband "Arik" Sharon was struggling for his life, and the Likudniks/neocons were already celebrating. Michael Oren, an author of an over-rated book on the 1967 War and a scholar with a creepy neocon think tank in Jerusalem, made it clear, in an interview with the New York Times that this was great, great news for his political man, Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu Many Israelis followed Sharon away from Likud into Kadima because they believed he represented the best guarantee for Israel's security in the near future," said Michael B. Oren, an Israeli historian. "In his absence, they are likely to fall back on the next likeliest guarantee, Bibi Netanyahu." Mr. Netanyahu has also worked to purge Likud "of some of its more unsavory figures and restored some of its tainted image," Mr. Oren said. Mr. Netanyahu is also given high marks for his stewardship of the Finance Ministry befo...

Iraqi PM Jaafari and Iranian VVP Aref: A Marriage made in Teheran (through U.S. matchmaking) My recent analysis of U.S.-Iran tensions: January 4, 2006 US Headed for Confrontation With Iran But probably not all-out war by Leon Hadar I've been embarrassed a few times in the past with my predictions (for example, that it was going to be U.S. President John Kerry in 2004), but I've also been right on a few occasions (for example, my book, Quagmire: America in the Middle East, was published in 1992). So let me put my credibility as a political analyst on the line again and make another forecast: The news this year will be dominated by the growing confrontation between Washington and Tehran (if that doesn't happen, well, I promise not to remind you about that early next year). Notice that I'm hedging my bets here. I refer to "confrontation," as in diplomatic and military confrontation, and not to war, as in the war with Iraq. I don't think that the United Stat...

(pic via www.gabeanderson.com) One more proof that U.S. President George W. Bush and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad share common values is the news story in the Christian Science Monitor about Waiting for the Repture in Iran For those who believe, the devotion is real. Tears stream down the cheeks of 2,000 men ripe for the return of the Mahdi, the 12th Imam they expect will soon emerge to bring justice and peace to a corrupt world. Eyes stare upward and arms open wide to receive God's promised salvation. The storyteller's lyrical song speaks of tragedy on the path to salvation, prompting cries of anguish and joy. As at a Christian revivalist meeting that promises healing and redemption, many weep as they pray for the Shiite Muslim version of the second coming of the Messiah. "Sometimes I feel they don't need me," says Mahdi Salashur, the religious storyteller, after leading congregants on an emotional late-night journey. "They are wired to God in t...

(pic from www.globalsecurity.org) My favorite blog Stop The Spirit Of Zossen has some great stuff about the coming U.S. confrontation with Iran which, I think, will be the Big Story of 2006. I'll be posting more items soon, including a longer piece by your truly on the topic. But do fasten your seat belts, the guys who brought you the Shock and Ouch in Mesopotamia promise that it's all going to be very exciting, making the Iraq war look like a picnic on the shore of the Euphrates.

Have a Nice Empire in 2006! British Philosopher John Gray has a great piece on the future in the American Empire in the new issue of the New York of Books which is becoming once again one of my favorite magazines. He reviews the news books by Robert Kaplan and Michael Mandelbaum and demolishes both the arguments in favor of Empire (Kaplan) and "Empire-lite" (Mandelbaum). Gray contends that unlike the British, the Americans are not ready and don't have the resources and patience to build an empire. And he calls on the U.S. to work with other great powers to establish global stability. The piece is long but worth reading. And BTW, I raise similar points in my new book, "Sandstorm: Policy Failure in the Middle East" (see links). Also I post here one of my old commentaries which deals with the problems facing the American Empire. US Ambitions Need Reality Check by Leon Hadar by Leon Hadar The American invasion of Afghanistan and Iran has ignited hopes among Washin...

Getting Ready for a Television Interview Anyone reading this blog is probably familiar with Wolfowitz, the leading neocon foreign policy thinker and his role in the Iraq War. If you are not, please read George Packer's excellent The Assassin's Gate which provides a somewhat sympathetic profile of the man. The reason I've chosen him is not because of Iraq but because of his selection as the new chief of the World Bank where he is going to spend the coming years traveling around the globe and wining and dining with the rich and the mighty (paid for by the American taxpayer)as a reward for getting us into the mess in Iraq. Indeed, those of you who fantasize that the guys responsible for the one of the worst strategic decisions in U.S. history are going to be punished, humiliated, marginalized, or just feel a little stupid and fall on their swords, well, forget about it. Just like Wolfowitz, they will be occupying leading positions in Washington in the coming years. Whether it...

Avner Kauffman (Eric Bana) in 'Munich': A Jew Returns to Exile Ari Ben Canaan (Paul Newman) in 'Exodus': An Aryan Zionist Hero There is quite of an interesting selection of movies for American audiences to watch in this family-friendly Christmas Season: A love affair between two gay cowboys ( Brokeback Mountain ). The memoirs of a Japanese prostitute ( Memoirs of a Geisha ). A story about an Irish tranvestite cabaret singer ( Breakfast at Pluto ). Two Jewish producers making a musical about Hitler ( The Producers ). A comedy about a sex addict ( Casanova ). And, yes, a tale of Jewish vengeance ( Munich ). I saw 'Brokeback' and my guess is that it will sweep the Oscars (great directing, acting and photography; a so-so storyline). I loved the old Mel Brooks' 'Producers' with Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder; so why see a remake? I'll probably see 'Casanova" and 'Geisha' (although it's kind of funny when reviewers suggest that '...

When We Were Missionaries: NED workers in the Good Old Days Reading is believing... Highly recommended a three-part series in the Washington Post , "Yemen: Exporting Democracy" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/17/AR2005121701237.html continued in Monday and Tuesday. It's certainly should be read by homeless/unemployed social scientists ISO Welfare Hotel. There is one in Washington, DC and it's called the Democracy Promotion Industry. in fact, there are many of those in the Capital of the Empire these days: NDI, AID, NED, Shmed... who'll provide you with hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money to waste on such projects as conflict-resolution workshops in Yemen. I kid you not... Yes, read about one of these lucky winners, Robin Madrid, who sounds like one of the cool, mature ladies who publish personal ads in the NYROB: "She is 65, a grandmother and the country director in Yemen for a Washington-based nonprofit called the...

In Palestine, Hamas activists have won major local elections in the West Bank (here in a scene from a Palestinian version of The Birth of a Nation) And in Iraq, the Shiites are poised to take power (here seen celebrating Mardi Gras). Edward Wong reports in the NYT today that early results of voting in Iraq (two-thirds of the vote) indicated that religious groups, particularly the main Shiite coalition have taken a commanding lead. The secular coalition led by Ayad Allawid had won only meager support, and our pal Chalabi won less than 1 percent of the votes in the Baghdad. The following piece was written before that news. But it makes the same point, that the Iraqis are voting against ethnic and religious lines, and that those parties that are committed to asserting these identities are winning in Iraq -- and will probably win in the rest of the Arab world if and when Iraqi style democracy arrives there. Leon Hadar Business Times - 20 Dec 2005 Turning the corner in Iraq - yet again Thi...

From the December 13, 2005 edition of the Christian Science Monitor: To Bush, Iraq's path to democracy akin to America's. In a speech Monday, he reminded a skeptical public of Founding Fathers' infighting. In speaking of the Iraqi democratic process from a Philadelphia stage, Bush aimed to invoke the image of America's own Founding Fathers in support of Iraq's new political leaders. As Bush said, the United States did not produce a constitution that could win ratification until years after the American Revolution. ("The eight years from the end of the Revolutionary War to the election of a constitutional government were a time of disorder and upheaval.There were uprisings, with mobs attacking courthouses and government buildings. There was a planned military coup that was defused only by the personal intervention of George Washington. In 1783, Congress was chased from this city by angry veterans demanding back pay, and they stayed on the run for six months. The...