October 28, 2012

In-depth

Trying to buy peace with Syria’s tyrant

The West must pressure the entire Arab world, from Syria to Saudi Arabia, to adopt a model of a free society, writes Natan Sharansky in the Washington Post. 

Have the horrors being perpetrated in Syria, let alone the dismal aftermath of the revolts in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, roused Western governments and opinion makers from their blind faith in dictatorial regimes as a force for stability or reform? Both U.S. presidential candidates have spoken of the importance of tying financial and diplomatic support from the free world to evidence of democratic reform in the Arab world. One senses minds beginning to change.

Can Israel Trust Obama’s Resolve on Iran?

Yossi Klein Halevi and Jeffrey Goldberg debate in the Jewish Week whether Obama is willing to take military action against Iran if all other efforts to end its nuclear ambitions fail.

What you and other Israeli skeptics don't get about Obama is this: He is deadly serious about stopping nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. It is a core belief of his. He has enunciated on many occasions compelling reasons why he believes it to be unacceptable for Iran to cross the nuclear threshold. He also knows that the reputation of his presidency is riding on this question. If Iran goes nuclear against his wishes, he looks like Jimmy Carter. He doesn't want to go down in history looking like Jimmy Carter.

Daily Digest

• Times of Israel: Obama offered to reestablish ties with Iran, Israeli paper reports
• Haaretz: School canceled in Be’er Sheva after two rockets strike near city
• Jerusalem Post: Satellite images suggest Sudan factory was bombed
• Ynet: Rahm Emanuel: Obama will protect Israel, deal with Iran
• New York Times: Iraqi Sects Join Battle in Syria on Both Sides
• Washington Post: Sanction-tested Iran looks inward
• Wall Street Journal: In Beirut Blast, U.S. Loses a Top Ally

Read Shmuel Rosner's Florida Diary: Part 2, Part 4, Part 6

Follow Shmuel Rosner on Twitter and Facebook for facts, figures, analysis and opinion in the run-up to the election

Check out Rosner's new book,