The latest edition of the Cutting Through newsletter is out. In it, I argue that the Biden administration is making a big mistake in slow-walking the re-entry into the Iran nuclear deal, or the JCPOA. I look at some of the reasons why he is doing that, including years of apologetics from Democratic supporters of the deal who ceded far too much ground to the idea that the deal, which…
On February 16, The New Press will release the new book by Marc Lamont Hill and myself, “Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics.” You can order it right now from an independent bookseller, or, if you insist, from all the usual big ones. Marc and I will be doing numerous events to promote the book. Below is a list of podcasts, interviews, reviews, and live events. Check back…
Yet another new group has been formed to try to sell Israel and its oppressive policies to liberals who are, slowly but surely, waking up to the fact that Israel’s practices and apartheid policies are incompatible with their professed values. In my latest piece for The New Arab, I look at a new group, called Heart of a Nation, which tries to promote Israel by giving some space to criticize its…
When people say “The Iran Deal isn’t perfect, but…” they undermine efforts to defend the deal. No deal is ever perfect. It’s a general rule that nothing is. This statement is defensive and extremely misleading. In fact, the JCPOA, or Iran Nuclear Deal, was an astonishing feat of international diplomacy. It was an agreement that the US, Russia, China, France, Germany, AND Iran could all sign on to. That, in…
Another Israeli election is upon us. Election day in Israel, though, is only the beginning of a long process of political jockeying and deal-making in the hopes of emerging with a stable governing coalition. It’s been quite a while since such a thing existed, and it doesn’t seem very likely that this election will yield one either. More likely, Benjamin Netanyahu will be at the head of a caretaker government…
When Jamaal Bowman defeated Eliot Engel in a NY primary last year, there was some hope that the leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee might be less hawkish on Israel-Palestine. Unfortunately, Gregory Meeks, Engel’s successor as chair of the HFAC, has made statements and taken positions that fit squarely with those of his predecessor. The implications are grim, as the Senate’s Chair of its Foreign Relations Committee, Bob…
Neera Tanden is on my short list of Democrats who have done great damage to prospects of progressive change. She’s up there with figures like Bill Clinton, Rahm Emmanuel, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and maybe the top of the list of those who have never held a significant spot in the government. But I can’t join with the many on the left that I see rejoicing in the prospect of her…
