US
Suzanne Maloney argues that the Iran deal is actually working:
Iran’s dissatisfaction presents a serious diplomatic dilemma for Washington. But it should not be interpreted as evidence that the deal is “unraveling.” Rather, the chorus of complaints from Tehran demonstrates the accord signed in July 2015 is working exactly as it was intended—forestalling Iranian nuclear ambitions while amplifying the incentives for further reintegration into the global economy.
Steven Metz raises the idea of creating a US foreign legion to help the country deal with military challenges of the future:
Admittedly, the idea of an American foreign legion would raise political and legal concerns. There is growing sentiment that the United States should simply extricate itself from the global conflict with transnational extremist networks and give up trying to promote security in faraway places. Perhaps this is right. But if America remains involved in this struggle, they must innovate rather than simply rely on the methods cobbled together under pressure. Analysis and debate may eventually show that creating an American foreign legion is a bad idea. But this is a discussion that needs to take place.
Israel
Military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai believes that the Lieberman appointment jeopardizes Israel’s national security:
The termination of Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and his replacement by MK Avigdor Lieberman are an irresponsible act by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The PM is jeopardizing our national security to an unreasonable level, out of sheer political convenience, surrendering to the extreme right-wing of his party. Switching in Lieberman for Ya'alon is also an immoral act. Netanyahu is thus signaling to the IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad high commands that they should not speak out in ways that may defy the government, as whoever strays from the path could be removed from the road.
Ronen Bergman discusses the tension between Israel’s politician and its army following the Lieberman appointment:
In most countries, the political class supervises the defense establishment and restrains its leaders from violating human rights or pursuing dangerous, aggressive policies. In Israel, the opposite is happening. Here, politicians blatantly trample the state’s values and laws and seek belligerent solutions, while the chiefs of the Israel Defense Forces and the heads of the intelligence agencies try to calm and restrain them.
Middle East
David Ignatius discusses American’s recent show of power against the Islamic State:
America’s military strength remains overwhelming, even after the tests of the past decade, and the emerging campaign almost surely will gradually disable the Islamic State. The problem, as nearly every commander here will acknowledge, is that U.S. military might cannot make a broken Iraq work as a nation.
Tony Badran discusses how Iran shapes Hezbollah:
As I wrote in “The Secret History of Hezbollah,” Iran always determined the structure and hierarchy of Hezbollah, “the Islamic Revolution in Lebanon.” And as the veteran commanders of the first generation disappear, the Iranians are cultivating their sons to continue on their fathers' path.
Jewish World
Samuel Israel Feuerman writes a personal history about the days when the Bronx was really Jewish:
The Bronx of yesterday, long gone, lives still in my imagination, a kind of American shtetl where everyone spoke Yiddish and behaved like a mensch. A place where people became Americans, yet still cried and grieved like Jews.
Alan Dershowitz writes about how his visit to Auschwitz reaffirmed his commitment to Israel:
My visit to Europe made one thing unmistakably clear: If there is any group in the world that needs a safe homeland – a sanctuary from bigotry and hatred – it is the Jewish people. When Hitler was willing to expel the Jews from Europe, before deciding to exterminate them, no country – not even the United States or Canada – would give them asylum. Britain closed the doors of what is now Israel to them. They had no place to go. So they were murdered by the Nazis and their willing executioners throughout Europe. There is no group whose history entitles it to a safe and secure homeland more than the Jewish people.
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