the definite article 33
regional politics after the axis got axed, haredim in the army, General Bob, dance, and drugs
tda 33
OK – the first two articles here are about politics in Israel or of Israel. The following two take a more global or at least regional view of how things have changed since the “axis of resistance” has gotten ax.
I like Peter Berkowitz. He’s a good writer and sometimes can depart the greased rails of what everyone else thinks and provide some fresh insight. This piece is ok, but he’s ridin’ those greased rails of railing against Netanyahu. In case you haven’t noticed, it was Netanyahu who was wielding that ax against the axis. Israelis have a love/hate relationship with the guy, somewhat codependent and sometime bordering on the violent.
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Andrew Blinken, the US Secretary of State, gave his good-bye interview to the New York Times last week. There were some golden nuggets, like when he places the failure of arriving at a deal for the hostages squarely on Hamas (I think most Israelis already knew that, but we sometimes live in denial – that’s in Egypt – and believe our government and /or army can say something, give something, or do something that will free the hostages. There is, which is to withdraw all our forces and declare Hamas the victor in the war, but with so much suffering that Israel has suffered during this war, the government is not going to return to a situation that leaves Hamas in control of Gaza. We might as well just pack our bags and go back to China.
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-836195
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Two articles on the new possible regional alignments. One is by Benny Morris, and he needs no introduction. If you need an introduction, google him and read a couple of his books. He was a staunch leftie until the second intifada – a classical case of a liberal getting mugged by reality. But as opposed to many who are offered both blue and red pills, he chose the red and adjusted his sights, so to speak. He is still lukewarm at best when it comes to Israelis living in Yehuda and Shomron, but his understanding of Arab - specifically Palestinian - intentions dovetail with Einat Wilf (another red-pilled former peace process cheerleader).
https://quillette.com/2025/01/01/the-new-middle-east-syria-lebanon-israel-iran/
This article is by Joshua Murchevik, of whom I know little aside from his writing, which is as clear as his thinking. These articles are worthwhile to read together for a deep understanding of the present, which can then fool us I into thinking what to expect in the future.
https://quillette.com/2024/12/31/syria-and-the-changing-global-calculus-iran-russia-lebanon-israel/
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This is a sweet article about a few of the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) boys who were drafted and actually showed up to join the IDF. May they be a harbinger of thousands more!
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-836153
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Two articles here about the new Bob Dylan biopic. Both are positive – the one in the Dispatch I thought more so – and define Dylan not as a war-time activist but (in the tradition of Beethoven, says I) as a musician who was not going to be trapped by folk-song socialist convention when it got In the way of self-expression.
https://thedispatch.com/article/restless-ambition-complete-unknown-bob-dylan-chalamet/
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Well, I don’t know bupkis about dance, actually, not much about modern art, but I have a good friend who was in the Cleveland Ballet, and he gave me some pointers. It is always good to broaden one’s horizons, no?
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You thought was going to ignore the little spat in the Republican party of H1-B visas? Well, it seems to have mostly blown over with both sides taking a step back, doing some Ti Chi and breathing exercises and after the initial unpleasantness, both sides showed some moderation. Not very American, but it worked in the meanwhile. Here are two articles about the affair, one from Compact Mag that sees these visas as an unqualified evil…
https://www.compactmag.com/article/no-there-arent-good-h-1b-visas/
…and this one from USA Today, who would have preferred Ramaswami to have use maybe more polite language, but he essentially agrees that many US students are unmotivated and underachieving.
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Finally, a piece from the Free Press by Sally Satel who takes a look at RFK Jr’s policy on drugs and addiction, and finds both good and bad.