THE UNIFYING FACTOR

Tai Chi and the Tale of the Mirror

2014-03-24T15:21:00.002-07:00

In my quest for greater focus in my life and studies I decided to take the advice of leading neurologists. They suggest that the brain can be made to grow by learning something new (see Charlie Rose on the brain/mind, and "The Brain in Love", PBS). The science points to, amongst other things, exercise that requires eye-body coordination, think ping-pong. I, however, decided to study Tai Chi. So I started attending a class with Master Lin of Park Slope.

The first thing he said was "stare into the hand like it is a mirror". This admonition was followed by "breath through the nose". Finally another intermission explaining why he was teaching me "this" form. It, he explained, hearkened back to Mao Zedong, who gathered all the Tai Chi masters of China and told them to choose a form that was most suitable for international promotion of Chinese culture. This was the form he began to teach me.

But back to the "stare into the hand like a mirror", what does that mean?
What is the purpose of a mirror? Is it to see ones flaws, as a first step towards improvement or does the mirror serve to affirm ones vanity precluding correction?
Also, why the hand? Is this some form of unconscious palm-reading, or is the hand just a convenient place to stare?
Finally, why should I "stare" why not glance peripheral-like?

I'm sure if I ask Master Lin, he will have a profound explanation, perhaps drawing on arcane Confucius or Taoist philosophies. On the other hand...

On the other hand, if the hand is like a mirror then by staring at the hand you should be able to see your self.

The above proposition can be understood metaphorically or literally.

Metaphorically, through the hand (Tai Chi means Supreme Ultimate Fist), you can achieve health for the whole body.

Or literally, the hand is not separate from the self, it is only a label we use to explain its geography and function. We can stare at the hand and see ourselves because the hand IS our self (If we cut the hand then pain may shoot throughout the body, blood from all parts of the body flow towards the cut etc.).

Indeed to love your fellow like yourself, because they ARE you. (see november 2009 post,"to not love your neighbor like yourself")

But, when I stare at my hand I don't see myself, yet with a carless glance the mirror in my room offers me a clear visual. Which is the true reflection of the self, the superficial glance or the contemplative stare?

To see your individuality, your perceived flaws and virtues, glance at the mirror on the wall.
To recognize the unifying factor stare at the hand.

To Not Love Your Neighbor is to Not Love Your Self

2014-03-17T13:19:00.001-07:00

There is an old Judeo-Christian dictum. It is often offered in “ethical” conversation, as a principle in evaluating our actions. However is it possible? Really, is it humanly possible to love one at the same level as yourself?

Moreover, as it it so obviously impossible, why is it so often thrown around?
Interestingly what makes this principle so outrageous is that the one unifying factor of humanity is that we are separate and different. In other words what makes us human is the same thing that makes us distinct. And because we are distinct we cannot love the other like the self!
That is one perspective.

Another perspective sees our differences as a reflection of our different objectives in life, as manifest by our physical and psychological makeup. The athlete is powerful, the banker savvy, and the teacher patient. Our innate talents cause us to have different objectives. These objectives are so disparate and consuming (think of your career or lack thereof) that they define us; what makes me different is what I do.

(One can go so far and label these departments as social, ethnic, religious, geographic etc. groups,career etc.) Thus each one of these groups is made a group by their larger but most importantly discernible objective, i.e. I am American because I ascribe to certain values, or I am an employee and you are an employer.
Likewise each group defines itself as different or not part of another group because that other group has a completely different and even contradictory objective.

Now let us imagine that each group is actually working on the same objective as the next group but the objective is so large that is almost impossible to imagine. For example GM has multiple subsidiaries that all work on the same objective but never see the final product or even understand how their objective is integral to the next group's objective.

It is almost as if the hand, which uniquely can grasp, understands that it is actually part of the same entity that my foot, with its unique mobility, is. Imagine if it didn't?

Is the only difference between humanity and the body physical proximity?

I wonder, if to love your neighbor like yourself is like loving your hand as you love your foot, understanding the uniqueness of the individual objective and talents but also the larger overarching objective. If, like the body, humanity is one organism working on the same project (do we as individuals ever really know where "WE" are going), then to not love the neighbor is to not love the self!

Does One Equal Infinite?

2014-03-17T13:11:00.002-07:00

What do the big bang theory, conventional religion, and the human body have in common? They all started with the notion of one. One large piece of exploding matter, one infallible entity, and one drop of semen. The question you many have is so what? So what if they all have a common singular beginning? Is it that the painting reflects the artist? So that we come from one drop of semen, because nature began in one moment with one source, and is that source the one infinite being? Then again if the painting does reflect the painter and the painter is ultimately infinite, should his or her work not also be infinite? In other words, is the fact that we are finite evidence that our source is also finite, or that our source can’t be infinite? Another question: how do we know whether we are finite or not? True our body needs to eat but do we as an existing atomic structure need to eat? Once we die our body is still there, albeit decomposing, but our body needs neither sleep nor food, shelter nor family, sex nor air! Maybe we, in our entirety, reflect in some ways the infinite. Or when we die we return to the one that we began as, one matter, dirt. Is it that the same experiences that makes us feel finite, life and consciousness, also prevent us from truly experiencing the one infinite that is at the heart of everything? Is the unifying factor that we all come from the same source and it is our consciousness, our physical existence, that precludes the obvious? What if we are aware that this oneness is the infinite source and if so is it interchangeable with the term infinite?

The Unifying Factor: Trance, the “Magic Eye” and Recognizing the One

2014-03-17T12:59:00.002-07:00

Some of the people I know just don’t understand what I see in trance. To them it is a jumble of sounds created for the consumer of drugs. I myself used to feel this way. Then one night some friends from my building invited me to a Paul Van Dyke festival in Central Park. I went, and since then I have understood the method of trance. Now when I try to convey my transformative experience I employ the magic eye analogy. You know those annoying “pictures” which seem to be a jumble of colors and shapes. Look closer! Don’t you see it? Do you see it? Do you see the statue, its right in front of you! Then exasperated you attempt to refocus your strained eyes uncrossing them, going back to a visual reality that comes naturally. Of course for some, after a while, they “get it”. From that point on it becomes obvious, a natural trance. Every religion and culture, Confucius, Moses, and the Sufi, ramble on about this one all encompassing consciousness, an idea that if meditated on either by spinning oneself around, not thinking about thinking , or really thinking, reveals an obvious truth. The truth being that we are really 1. The real question, then, is how do we access this awareness? (I tried crossing my eyes while dancing in a state ecstasy.) On the other hand if one is not aware of trance or the magic eye picture then they can never know the answer, because they don’t know that there’s a question. What do these “one” people see? Where is the evidence? I wonder if the Unifying Factor can be found by being aware that there is a common denominator in everything. After all if one must experience trance in order to appreciate it and stare at the magic eye to see, then to find something that is everything is a matter of just being awake.

Japan Catastrophy: What Else Should the West do About it?

2011-03-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

A lot is going on that seems to undermine the West and its interests. The rise of China, the near-collapse of Capitalism, the loss of key allies in the Middle east, and now the near devastation of the last power standing between us and China. So I think It's time to reunite with old-Europe- France, the UK, and (even) Germany.

Two nuclear reactors are in near melt-down, whole towns were wiped off the map, and 10,000+ are dead. The unprecedented (8.9 on the Richter scale)earthquake that struck Japan, is being called the largest catastrophe that has struck Japan since WWII.

Beyond the devastation experienced by Japan, for which the West continues to respond generously, this catastrophe has extraordinary implications for America's strategic position in the Pacific. Yes, everyone has accepted that America’s place in that region is experiencing a steady decline. But the earthquake may accelerate that process. This is not to say that China will launch some premeditated action (China is very cautious and has a track record of non-interference) but rather it brings us that much closer to the point in which China will go on the offensive.

So, as in the past, we need to unite with our cross-Atlantic ideological brothers. The great alliances of the first half of the 20th century should be refurbished and a new and more powerful NATO formulated. While it will necessitate that Germany be included and that France and the UK increase their respective defense-budgets in a time of general austerity, it will not be used to make war, but to prevent it.

An emerging China and other states aligned with its goals- like Iran, Turkey, and Venezuela-should be made aware that the West is willing to support equitable distribution but will not capitulate. A united West can, and would, offer a mutual protective shield. Belligerent states -both passive and overt- respect the cumulative force of a a Dollar/Euro/Yen, and will hesitate going to war.
They -Iran, China, Venezuela, and North Korea etc.- have to be made aware that we will not budge one inequitable inch: Afghanistan and Iraq were, and are, only warning salvos for those that will resort to violence in their efforts to challenge America and the West.

Columbia University is a Voice for Disoriented Ethics and Irrational Activism

2011-02-21T09:56:00.000-08:00

This New York Post article
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/hero_unwelcome_Zi3u1fwtRpo87vXAiAQfSN

leads me to ask:

Is it any surprise that a University that embraces “apartheid week” and hosts the likes of Ahmadinejad would also be a place where wounded veterans are jeered for sharing their opinion? Why should a man who served his country be called a racist for voicing his opinion at a forum expressly established to discuss whether the army should be allowed to recruit on Columbia’s campus? Did the veteran make the choice to accept faulty intelligence from a disaffected Iraqi –is it his fault we went to war? Does he spend his every waking hour recruiting, mostly, ignorant students to malign, libel, and demonize Israel and the American-right? Is he on record calling for the genocide of an entire nation?!

Following America’s shameful treatment of Vietnam War veterans (who also fought in a war that was imposed on them) our society was supposed to have repented. America’s abysmal treatment of its veterans prompted our government to pass an array of popular legislation aimed at ensuring that our soldiers and veterans would receive the respect and dignified assistance they deserved. Why than do ostensibly educated students –the cream of the crop- find it tolerable, if not commendable, to label our hero’s “racist”. Why do like-minded students, like the ones in this story, find it acceptable to prevent Ann Coulter, Michael Oran, and veterans from sharing their opinions, but are the first to support the proliferation of Ahmadinejad’s’ genocidal rants. Is this liberalism? How did the liberal cause become one half of the unholy alliance between "absolute freedom" Liberals and sharia-imposing Muslim extremists?

Columbia University may be an Ivy League school and an institution that I considered applying to, but it is also a collective voice for disoriented ethics and irrational activism.

Intermarriage, Divorce, and the "Great Jewish-American Wealth Transfer"

2011-02-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

The deluge of divorce and intermarriage sweeping across the Jewish-American landscape has and will continue to impact the Jewish-American community in unforeseen ways.

No, I am not referring solely to the loss of half of our children to marriages where Jewish values, culture, and history are not passed on. Nor do I refer merely to the drop in numbers of Jewish children born due to the accelerating epidemic of single life propagated by the likes of Huffingtonpost.com. Instead I am referring to the transfer of wealth from the hands of hard working and entrepreneurial Americans who identify themselves as Jews, to the hands of others who do not.

The real consequences of this trend are already being felt. In a recent survey of the most philanthropic in America, Jews, unsurprisingly, held five of the top six spots, and there were 19 Jews amongst the top 53
(http://www.jewishjournal.org/story/news_features/survey_finds_jews_are_top_givers_in_the_u.s/). Yet most of their charity was directed at non-Jewish causes. This is, in itself, not a bad thing. After all, Jews have always contributed to larger society and such contributions are considered central to Torah-true living. On the other hand, the upkeep of Jewish institutions is a prerequisite to maintaining Jewish tradition and heritage. Day schools, hospitals, museums, houses of prayer, political action , kosher food, mikvahs (ritual baths), soup kitchens, medical assistance etc. are all expensive enterprises that have historically been considered the collective responsibility of every Jew, each according to their means (Jews are required to give 10 percent of their earning to charity, on top of taxes).

There is a long standing Jewish tradition of philanthropy. The 19th and early 20th century Rothschilds have been replaced by the 21st century Lev Levaivs. The biblical tabernacle built in the dessert, the two temples of Jerusalem, and almost every single past and present Jewish institution was funded by Jews who stepped up to the plate and continued the historic use of Jewish wealth to benefit the global Jewish community.

Until now.

For the first time since the era of Ezra and Nechemya (the end of Babylonian/Persian exile) assimilation and divorce has become the norm in the Jewish diaspora. This new norm has in-turn impacted the entire Jewish community in unforeseen ways.

Jews are disproportionally wealthy and, in most cases, happily shoulder the burden of corollary taxation. However, public schools, fast food, and churches do not assist the Jewish community in passing on 3000 year old traditions. Many Jews pay for public schools but send their children to private schools; Jews don’t eat cheap fast food, but pay close to double for (often equally unhealthy) kosher food. Jews close their businesses on the busiest consumer day of the week. Despite all the above challenges the Jewish community has committed itself -for over 2000 years with little complaint and out of love and devotion- to propagating Jewish tradition.

Every intermarriage that ends in divorce or results in offspring who eschew Jewish tradition engenders an unquantifiable, and often undesired, transfer of wealth from Jewish hands. The ramifications are felt across the nation and globe, and have been further compounded by the general economic malaise. Many Jews turned their back on their secular coreligionists, but that was wrong both from a humanitarian perspective and from a Jewish-legal viewpoint (Rabbi Hillel said “love your neighbor like yourself, this is the great law of the Torah”), and now the tangible economic implications are clear. Jews continue to be leading philanthropists, but many Jews are unable to educate and pass on their traditions. Many Jews eat only Kosher, so they don’t buy meat which they can’t afford. Many houses of prayer and study-halls (Beit Knesset, Beit medrash) want to provide a relaxing and comfortable milieu for prayer and study but they close their doors do to the lack of funds.

Where is all that famous Jewish wealth? Just look at the wonderful New York Philharmonic and billion dollar endowments of Harvard and Yale.

Yes this is a free and integrated country, yes all have a fundamental right to choose their own destiny, and yes Jews are not required by secular law to provide for their brothers and sisters. But the Jewish community should at least be made aware of the implications of the continued failure to educate and pass on our millennia old tradition to the next generation. Our failure translates into the continued transfer of Jewish wealth into the hands of others -from Jewish synagogues and schools to libraries and universities. This is not just about losing a generation of "other" Jewish children, this is about our own children!

From Hurriyet.com: "Turks rise up against dictators! Well, some dictators…"

2011-02-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

Great article out of Turkey

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turks-rise-up-against-dictators-well-some-dictators8230-2011-02-01

It’s wonderful news! Islamist Turks have finally discovered the vices of the autocratic/kleptocratic regimes of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. But why do they hate Mr. Ben Ali, whose name they had not heard of until a fortnight ago, or Mr. Mubarak, whose undemocratic credentials are well older than a week?

In the Maghreb case, the Islamist Turks have just learned that the distant country with “a flag similar to our” was not run by just a dictator, but by a secular dictator. They also learned that that shameless dictator had sent into exile a man whose name they cannot remember – but anyway – that good Muslim now talks about taking the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, as a role model for democracy. Mr. Ben Ali could not have been allowed to oppress the Tunisians. In the future, Rashed Ghannoushi can because he will be “our” dictator.

And in the case of “Pharaoh” as the Turkish protestors refer to Mr. Mubarak, Islamist Turks are angry not because he has undemocratically ruled Egypt for 30 years, but because the largest Muslim nation in the region has been at peace with Israel, not at war.

It was not a coincidence that at the weekend’s anti-Mubarak demonstrations in Istanbul and Ankara, protestors carried Mr. Mubarak picture with the Star of David superimposed over it. The usual gathering of “Islamic” NGOs (this time joined by a leftist one, too) protested him for “not having flown Egyptian fighter jets to defend Gaza.” Ahmet Faruk Ünsal, secretary-general of Mazlum-Der, an “Islamic” human rights organization (how bizarre of a mission, “Islamic” human rights…) voiced a rich menu of pleasantries about Egypt’s possibly departing leader because “he guarded Israel by shutting the gates of Gaza.”

But some of the protest language was encouraging. Demonstrators in front of the Egyptian Consulate in Istanbul shouted that “they were standing for resistance against dictatorship.”

Abdurrahman Dilipak, a prominent Islamic intellectual and writer, generously talked about “our Muslim brothers who live under oppression…” The rare non-Israeli-related language at the protests gave us hope for democracy – the one that does not come with a faith-based adjective.

Now we can cultivate further hope that the Turkish Islamists may in the future rise up against all oppressive regimes – the regimes that oppress their fellow Muslims to begin with.

How about starting with our next-door neighbors, Syria and Iran? For sure, Turkish democrats should be protesting Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which he inherited by blood rather than winning at the ballot box. How about showing some solidarity when President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad’s guards systematically kill dissidents including, most recently, Zahra Bahrami, who was arrested after taking part in anti-government protests and was hanged for “drug possession and smuggling.” Beware, Iranian diplomatic missions, next time Mazlum-Der and Mr. Dilipak may show up in front of your buildings to protest your government’s anti-democratic behavior!

What about protesting in front of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Ankara? Do our Saudi brothers not deserve democracy and free elections? Are we not going to “stand for our oppressed brothers”? Are we not going to “stand for resistance against dictatorships”?

The awakening Turkish soul is bad news for Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, too. Sooner or later, Islamist Turks should start protesting Mr. al-Bashir, wanted by an international court for genocide and crimes against humanity. Surely the Turks will stand for their Muslim Sudanese brothers mass-murdered by Mr. al-Bashir’s vigilantes.

In the meantime, the Democratic Turkish Resistance Solidarity Movement should turn its angry looks on the kings, emirs, sheiks and sultans of the Middle East… only to help liberate their fellow Muslims from dictatorships of all possible tags. Bad news for the kings, emirs, sheiks and sultans…

I am not the one to teach the Islamists Islam. All the same, the Tunisia/Egypt protestors should better refresh their knowledge with one verse: “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be [against] rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts [of your hearts], lest you swerve, and if you distort [justice] or decline to do justice, verily God is well-acquainted with all that you do.” (Quran, 4:135).

Iran and Egypt: Why did Mubarak Fall?

2011-02-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

Despite conventional wisdom and realistic expectations, the Egyptian riots have nearly pushed Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian dictator, out of office.

How did a leaderless protest movement successfully challenge one of the longest serving and savviest leaders in the Middle East? Adding to the mystery, how did the support of America, Jordan, and the Gulf states, for Mubarak, become moot?

I am not the first to ask this question, and the explanations abound. One compelling account asserts that America was planning an overthrow of Mubarak in 2011, under Bush in 2008.
True or not, Obama has not shied away from vaguely, but unambiguously (as only an American politician can) supporting the Egyptian street. And for the first time since the abortive Oslo Accords, Americas “meddling” is being applauded (or at least not be condemned) by the average Arab and Muslim. This lack of anti-America hate may be due to the fact for the first time in recent years America is turning away from an autocratic (in this case 30 years of loyalty) leader in favor of the common Arab.

Obama, for his part, supports the Arab/Muslim street because of realpolitik. In other words throwing a long standing ally to the wind simply serves America’s best interest. The Saudis, Israelis, Jordanians, and every other ally of America should take this lesson to heart.

That said, why did Obama not come out in support of the Green revolution in Iran? Instead, according to some intelligence sites like debka.com, Obama sent a private letter of support to Iran’s “elected” leader Ahmadinejad. The question is compounded when you consider that Mubarak was a friend while the Mullahs of Iran were our sworn enemies.

One may respond that the Green movement did not reflect the majority of Iranians - just look at the mass pro-Ahmadinejad protests. A fair point, but one could counter that the only difference between the Mullah’s response to the Green movement and Mubarak’s response to the Egyptian protests was political fortitude and strategy.

Thus the Mullahs of Iran expected protests immediately after the disputed elections, and were ready to respond, they also had no qualms about resorting, almost, immediately to mass violence. The anti-Mubarak elements may have learned a lesson. They surprised Mubarak months after the disputed elections, and also reached out to the Egyptian army so as to prevent them from becoming a tool of repression. Another key difference, as pointed out by Debka.com, was that the Iranians regime had a target- the opposition leaders- whereas the Egyptian protesters were leaderless, at least superficially.

Perhaps the difference is simple. Obama only supports movements that he believes will actually succeed because "to support the projected victor is to gain the allegiance of the winner". Or it may be that Obama was a freshman president with little experience when the Green movement emerged, whereas now he is a seasoned politician.

Regardless of Obama's inconsistencies (or consistencies). The real question is will this movement coalesce into an effective Democratic movement that is friendly to America and peace, or whether the ominous silence of Iran heralds a Middle-East that sees a certain genre of Islam, not stability, as the primary objective. The answer to the above question will likely explain why the Egypt movement succeeded while the Green movement failed?

Will the Anger of the Arab Street Cross the Atlantic?

2011-01-27T10:15:00.000-08:00

Huffingtonpost.com just posted some extraordinary photos of protests in Egypt. The Egyptian protests follow two weeks in which the Arab street has exploded in anger against their respective governments. Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran, amongst others, are all experiencing political turmoil. Yes, we are used to seeing the Arab street explode over an array of minor issues –like the Muhammad cartoon saga. But this time is different, the street is not (yet, anyways) protesting the “meddling Americans” or the “Zionist occupiers”, this time they are directing their collective anger inwards -against their own governments. Moreover, this is the first time that so many Arab and Muslim nations have simultaneously experienced political unrest. There are no jobs, the government is unable, or unwilling, to end the economic woes, and there is a complete disconnect between the people and their governments and elites.

The narrative of the Arab protests is familiar. There is rampant unemployment, extremely low government approval ratings, and individuals willing to do more than sulk at home. In Greece and Ireland, two western states, the street exploded, and their respective governments have been hit hard. Who’s next?

From this perspective, the economic woes of the past two years have spawned a global wave of protests. Wikileaks exposure of routine two-faced political dealings by governments has added fuel to the fire of mistrust and dissatisfaction so prevalent in many societies. The real question is whether we can expect the same results in America?

It is true that Americans have historically weathered economic malfeasance and ineptitude –like during the great depression- with relative calm. But America has changed since the 1930’s, and nobody can say with certainty that a single digit approval rating of our government will not translate into burning tires and bodies on the streets of New York and Chicago. The Muslim Brotherhood and other such Islamic groups have not yet hijacked the protests. Just as the far left –or right- in America have not yet coalesced into an effective anti-government apparatus. But the possibility exists.

So I ask: Will the Anger of the Arab Street Cross the Atlantic?

Copts, Muslims, and Democracy: America Needs to Start Making the Right Choices

2011-01-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

I recently had the privilege of meeting an Egyptian doctor in a Starbucks in the city. He had overheard my conversation with a Muslim friend, and decided to join. Amongst the interesting perspectives he offered on Egypt and the region was the issue of Mubarak as a dictator vs. Mubarak as a pacifier. He argued that one of the reasons why Egypt is as stable as it has been since the Camp David accords was due to the secular stability that Mubarak implemented. What I found to be most interesting was that this doctor was a Christian-Copt.

For those that don’t know, the Copts are an ancient Christian denomination; the largest minority in Egypt; and a group that has experienced terrible discrimination at the hands of the Arab-Muslim majority. Yet despite the oppression of the Copts, this highly educated individual was supporting Mubarak. Why? Because, Mubarak has kept Islamist extremism in check, maintained Egypt’s leadership position in the region, and has offered a relative degree of economic well being –primarily through American funded subsidies- to its citizens. The alternative, he argued, was an Islamist government closer to Saudi Arabia in nature i.e. few churches, no political rights, and little freedom

My new friend's perspective raises a larger and relevant question:

Should we in America advocate for Democracy even in cases where that freedom will be hijacked by Islamic-extremist or other anti-Democratic elements? Should we support dictators in Tunisia, and Yemen, so long as they suppress terrorist entities from using their territory as training camps for attacks on the West?

America has always been involved in the spread of Democracy, but we have also, mostly, tempered our Democratic expansion with an unapologetic realism (this realism is what explains why we didn’t try “Iraq” before hand and why we are not going to try it again). Yet the populations in question –in this case the Arab street- are not blind to the obvious contradiction. On one hand we in America portray ourselves as the leader of the free world; with the other hand we pass millions of dollars to autocratic and oppressive governments who support our interests. Yes we may call that political realism, but in the Arab-world our opponents label it hypocrisy.

My Egyptian friend felt that a sudden Democracy movement in Egypt that overthrew Mubarak would be appropriated by non-Democratic elements -as it was in Iran, Gaza, and now Lebanon- who would then use it to keep themselves in indefinite power. But many participants and observers disagree; they see no ideological component to the Tunisian protests only a citizen population that is fed up with the economic ineptitude of their autocratic government.

Indeed there is no one formula: In some cases, like Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, Gaza etc. we see Islamic-extremists capitalizing on general dissatisfaction. However, that does not mean that every Muslim and Arab nation that goes through a popular upheaval will invariably end up like Iran or Gaza.

The problem for us in America is we don’t understand the Muslim world enough to know when to stand behind a dictator and when to stand behind Democratic movements. Why did Obama ignore the Green revolution in Iran? Why did we think we could make Iraq a functioning Democracy? Why did we remove our support from Musharraf in Pakistan? Why did we support elections in Gaza? Why did we look the other way when Hezbollah joined the Lebanese political process?

Some of you reading this may respond: “That’s the point, America should mind its own business”. I disagree; the world needs America, which means we should start making the right choices.

A Convenient Excuse: What Role do the Israeli "Settlements" Play in the Middle-East? Part ll

2011-01-21T10:54:00.001-08:00

The Israeli Perspective:

Israel’s use of settlements has a lot more nuance reflecting the diversity of Israel’s free political landscape.

The Left blames the settlements for all the woes of Israel “if only those settlers would disappear, Israel could finally achieve its potential”.

On a psychological level, the Left feels guilty (justly or otherwise) for supplanting so many Palestinians. However Israel is their home, and ensures Jewish survival, so they shift their guilt on to the settlements. On the rational (or irrational) level the Left protects its own homes, in Tel Aviv, by arguing that the only reason why there is violence against Israel-proper is because of the occupation, i.e. settlements. They conveniently ignore the stated beliefs –described above- of both religious and secular Muslims and Arabs. Ironically this is the real reason for the collapse of the Left in Israel; the illusion that there will be peace once occupation has ended has been completely dispelled by the Gaza fiasco. It seems obvious but it is a fact that has been conveniently ignored by the left-leaning media in Israel.

The secular right sees the settlements as a useful bargaining tool.

If the Arabs don’t fall in line and accept Israel’s right to exist, the right claims: "we (Israel) will maintain the settlements, and the anger that they engender in Arab countries!" The recent ascendancy of the Israel Beitanu party and its leader, Russian-born, Avigdor Lieberman is a reflection not only of a political coming-of-age of former Soviet Union immigrants but also a consequence of the left's now discredited belief that “settlements are the problem”. For the secular-right the settlements have always been a convenient bargaining tool. Think Menachem Begin (Yamit-Sinai) and Ariel Sharon (Gush Katif- Gaza).

For the religious-Right the settlements are the tangible manifestation of their core beliefs that Israel belongs to the Jews not because of the 1917 Balfour declaration, or the 1947 UN partition plan- but because it says so in the Bible. The settlements are the ideological breeding ground for the religious-Right. As the settlements grow and prosper, the religious-Right grows and prospers.

The settlement enterprise serves many interests. It is a convenient tool for the Arab, Muslim, and anti-Israel world to focus their “justified hate”, and it is a convenient football for Israeli politicians to kick around.

Meanwhile there are over 500,000 thousand “settlers” in the West-Bank and East-Jerusalem. To remove them from their homes would be no less traumatic and wrong then the expulsion and self-imposed exodus of the 600,000 Arabs from Israeli lands after the Arab world refused to recognize the 1947 partition plan.

A Convenient Excuse: What Role do the Israeli "Settlements" Play in the Middle-East? Part l

2011-01-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

The anti-Israel crowd is obsessed with illegal settlements in Israel. So I decided to share some relevant facts regarding the so-called settlements:

But first an update:

Arab nations have submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The resolution is only one part of a larger effort by the PA/Fatah, to garner international support for establishing a de facto Palestinian state. The impetus for this resolution and the call for states like Brazil, to recognize a Palestinian state, is a result of the inability of the Palestinians to force Netanyahu into extending the freeze on settlements. In other words, Abbas and co. recognize that violence will not work, that America will not turn its back on Israel, and that the only other option is the UN.

Yet the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has, since the 1967 war, been in the Palestinians corner. However this has been almost meaningless because the UNGA's support is not-binding. When it comes down to business, which is conducted by the UN Security Council (UNSC), countries like Britain, which freely condemn Israel in the UNGA, refuse to act on those condemnations in the UNSC. Indeed, the US has already blocked a vote on this resolution in the UNSC.

So why are Abbas, the PA, and the Arab states putting so much effort into introducing more inane resolutions, this time opposing settlement expansion? On that note, why are the Palestinians seeking international recognition for their state, when that recognition will be meaningless, unless America and Israel accept it –which they won’t?

There are many potential answers to this question. But the question is significant because it leads the observer, in this case me, to analyze the settlement issue from a multitude of perspectives.

The Muslim and Arab Perspective:

The fact of the matter is that the argument that the so called "settlements" are the barrier to peace is a convenient excuse. For all the anti-Israel voices, Arabs, Muslims, and the Europeans who can find little else to harp on. Think about it, religious Muslims reject Israel’s right to exist, because the Koran implies that Jews were rejected by G-d for their sins, and have permanently lost their claim to the land of Israel -green-line or otherwise. Secular Muslims and Arabs can never accept the idea of a Jewish state in the Arab heartland. I mean how humiliating is it for the average impoverished and politically suppressed Muslim and Arab to watch how the Jews -the same people who 65 years ago were living with few rights in Muslim lands- thrive and dominate them in war and peace? The same can be asked regarding the many anti-Semites, who just can’t figure out why the Jews and Israel, despite all their efforts, are so successful.

On the other hand very few Muslim and Arab nations are willing to honestly explicate their true beliefs, usually because of overarching economic and political interests. But these states feel threatened by Israel’s inexplicable growth in the face of every type of challenge. They also have to contend with their own perpetually angry populations. So they target the settlements, not just in the West Bank, where they know Israel is willing to compromise, but also in Jerusalem where Israel will not. Thereby the Muslim and Arab states, (and the rest of the anti-Israel crowd) can portray themselves as reasonable state actors on the international stage, while also suppressing the anger of the Muslim street, by their opposition to the Israeli occupation.

So why did the Arabs offer this resolution now? It’s likely that the economic anger and political turmoil that is spreading from Tunisia to Egypt has a lot to do with it.

Regardless the anti-Israel crowd uses Israeli settlements as a convenient excuse to condemn all of Israel and, in many cases, all Jews. America recognizes this and refuses to jump on the bandwagon of hate.

In Part two I will discuss the many Israeli perspectives on settlements.

"The WikiLeaks-Iran connection" From Haaretz.com

2011-01-13T11:22:00.000-08:00

For all the conspiracy theorist out there an interesting development from Haaretz.com

http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/the-wikileaks-iran-connection-1.336790

"On November 4, Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, arrived in Geneva. He held a press conference in which he hinted that he was considering requesting political asylum in Switzerland. Assange spent two days there as the guest of an Iranian non-governmental organization, which also sponsored the press conference.

The NGO is called the International Institute for Peace, Justice and Human Rights, but the impressive title conceals the Iranian government, which finances the organization. Assange's press conference took place in a building of one of the UN institutions in the city. Iranian diplomats were in the audience, and Iranian photo crews made sure to document who was there, until one of the UN security people told them to stop. It's unclear what Assange, the founder of a website that discloses secrets, and Iran, have to do with each other. WikiLeaks did not respond when asked to comment.

After WikiLeaks began disclosing the U.S. State Department's confidential cables, a rumor mill thrived on websites, mainly Arab ones, that Assange had met in Geneva with Mossad officials and reached an agreement not to disclose documents that could harm Israel. This conspiratorial theory was also based on the fact that some of the published documents embarrassed Arab leaders who were depicted as secret supporters of a military attack by the United States or Israel on Iran.

Assange denied the claim, and the Mossad in principle does not comment on reports about the organization. It seems the truth is very prosaic. The Mossad, as far as I know, was not really interested in Assange and his site. It has more important things to deal with. It's likely, however, that Iran is interested in Assange. His releases are damaging the United States, and that makes Iran happy."

No, Iran was hurt by the last "dump" and wants to control who gets exposed next,but the point is well taken.

Imagine a Lebanon without Hezbollah

2011-01-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday’s announcement by the Lebanese opposition, Hezbollah, that they are leaving the governing coalition over the Hariri probe, is viewed by most as a harbinger of yet another bout of war and violence. These same analysts and dilettantes, conclude that this is bad. While I agree that most actions Hezbollah is associated with result in violence –which is bad- I disagree that Hezbollah quitting the Hariri led government is a negative development.

Of course, the prospect of further violence is in itself terrible, but the idea that Hezbollah would continue to obstruct the Lebanese government’s effort to improve the lot of their citizens is even worse. It is not insignificant that the Lebanese government has been unable to pass its 2010 budget because of Hezbollah opposition to any reasonable compromise. It is also telling that Hezbollah refuses to allow Lebanon to put the 2005 Hariri assassination to rest. Yet this assassination created a political and cultural chasm between the three main segments of the Lebanese population –Shia, Sunni, and Druse-Christian. The key to Lebanese prosperity is unity, if not compromise, amongst these three demographics. If Hezbollah was really serving the interest of Lebanon, and not Iran, then they would recognize this and put the Hariri assassination behind them –even if it meant admitting that some of its own high level commanders were involved.

This comes as no surprise. Hezbollah’s efforts to rebrand itself, after the 2006 Israel-Lebanese war, as a legitimate political entity determined to contribute to Lebanon’s renaissance was treated by most observers, as facile. The observes were right. Hezbollah’s 2008 commitment to renounce violence and become a political party like Ireland's “Sinn Féin (Irish political party that did) was always a monumental charade. Hezbollah still represents its founder, Khomeini, and the Shia ideology he espoused. This ideology is clearly reflected in Hezbollah's intransigence and obstructionism to the utter detriment of Lebanon. When Hezbollah pulled out of the government it exposed itself for what it always was – a terrorist organization loyal only to Tehran.

As long as Hezbollah has a say in governing Lebanon the nation will be incapable of reemerging as the mecca of tolerance and diversity it once represented. And as long as Lebanon and its neighbors continue to entertain the notion that Hezbollah is something more than a terrorist proxy of Iran, the whole region will suffer.

From this perspective, Hezbollah’s distancing itself from Lebanon’s government means the region is closer to peace -which is good.

Lieberman, for G-ds sake don’t be such a Putz!

2011-01-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

Don’t jump to any conclusions, hear me out.

Israel’s foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman's rhetoric arouses conflicting emotions. My instinctive response to his abusive rhetoric and behavior, such as his tacit support for the insult towards Turkey’s ambassador to Israel, was YES! FINALLY! AN ISRAELI POLITICIAN WHO SAYS IT LIKE IT IS!

Then I remember how I felt when Turkey's PM Erdogan,stated that no genocide happened in Darfur,Sudan "because Muslims can't commit genocide"! Or when Ahmadinejad of Iran stood in front of the world and denied the Holocaust, while calling for one! Or when Egypt’s tourist minister stated that he could not rule out that the shark attacks on tourists in his country were a Mossad operation! Or when Saudi Arabia incarcerated a Zionist-vulture-spy (yes a bird) because it was caught with a GPS tag on which it was written Tel Aviv University!

Or...

Yes Lieberman's rhetoric is nothing like the above –his statements are usually grounded in the truth and are responsive. But I consider Israel’s track record of saying little and doing a lot as a source of pride. Why should the great nation of Israel succumb to the hate filled and purposeless rhetoric of its neighbors?

Lieberman, be strong, stand for what is right, but for G-ds sake don’t be such a putz!

Subjective Journalism Gone Wild II: Israeli FM Lieberman is Not the New Kahane

2011-01-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

“They're right, the villains - Kahane does live. He is the foreign minister today and the cabinet speaks and breathes from his mouth” (http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/lieberman-is-the-new-kahane-1.336296)

Haaretz.com, the voice of the Israeli left-wing, got it wrong. Avigdor Lieberman, foreign minister of Israel, is not the “new Kahane”. I know Lieberman, like Kahane, is outspoken, openly calls for Israeli-Arab transfer, and sounds more like Middle-Eastern dictator than he does the foreign representative of a Modern-thinking Democracy. However the political motivations driving Lieberman could not be more different than the complicated ideologies that lay at the heart of Meir Kahane’s religious Zionist movement.

Lieberman is the child of the mass waives of Russian immigrants who poured out of the former Soviet Union. They unlike their Western, Oriental, and Arab Israeli hosts were used to and advocated for un-western-Putin-like politics. Lieberman has captured that public sentiment and has made a career out of responding to rhetoric with rhetoric -like a Russian politician. In his way of thinking, the Arabs living within Israeli borders need to either swear loyalty to Israel or leave. Lieberman would run a war against Hamas like Russia has led its war on Chechen rebels –unapologetic, ambitious, and ruthless.

Conversely Kahane philosophy was

“that Israel's democracy be replaced by a state modeled on Jewish religious law, and promoting the idea of a Greater Israel in which Israel would annex the West Bank and Gaza strip…[to prevent Arabs from] becoming a numerical majority in Israel, he proposed a plan allowing Arabs to voluntarily leave Israel and receive compensation for their property, and forcibly removing Arabs who refused” (Wikipedia).

For Lieberman it was simply a matter of POLITICAL fidelity on the part of the Arabs and they could stay. Not especially extreme, many nations follow this system, especially Russia. For Kahane the land was HOLY and was meant only for Jews and for it to be safe Arabs had to leave. Now THAT is extreme.

Haaretz and the Israeli-Left are so predictable. They don’t like Lieberman’s methods and belief’s, and are doing what they can to stem Lieberman’s meteoric rise to political power. This includes, but is not confined to, comparing him to Meir Kahane. But just because Lieberman is as outspoken as Kahane was does not mean that Lieberman is the new Kahane.

Lieberman is a political opportunist Kahane was an ideological politician.

Haaretz and subjective journalism at its best.

Yale Law III: Reason and Violence

2011-01-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

In applying to Yale law school I was required to submit a 250 word essay on any give topic. Below is the third essay amongst the three finalists:

The reason offered for society’s rejection of violence often boils down to the axiom that violence is wrong. Yet it is fair to ask: why it is wrong? At this point the respondent would probably assert that violence is antithetical to coexistence and that coexistence is a prerequisite for society’s success. Alternatively, they may respond that causing pain is inherently unjust and violence cannot exist without pain.

But if all reasons underpinning the rejection of violence are rooted in rational reasoning, what happens when violence is rationalized? Take Hitler, Stalin, Saddam, or the guy whose wife was cheating on him. Each one of them offered a compelling and reasoned argument to commit violence.

The cynical and pragmatic thinker may agree with the above reasoning and conclude that the degree of justness attributed to acts of violence is simply a product of the position that the one committing the violence is in. Still, for those who wish to establish a universal rule against violence, what principles can we employ that will ensure acceptance?

Yet if we are to find one universal principle that all humanity follows we need that principle to be non-rational. After all, as the post modernist would contend, the only truth that is universal is that which each individual has created as their own unique truth. If Humanity is inherently subjective, it would seem then, that there is no source for or of universal truth.

Is humanity then doomed to experience murder, and even genocide? Or is it that murder is in fact a natural occurrence that is as integral to the human as subjectivity or passion?

Israel Must Support Mubarak

2011-01-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

Egypt and Israel are in serious trouble!

The recent bombing outside a Copt church, was not committed (Debka.com) by foreign Al-Qaida extremists, but by homegrown terrorists intent on toppling Egypt’s secular regime. This bombing follows a rigged election which ensured that Mubarak would win. Domestic sectarian terror is not the only issue challenging Egypt. In the South, Egypt’s control of the Nile (its life blood) is being challenged. Egypt is also weary of the implications of Southern Sudanese independence (Huffingtonpost.com).

Don’t get me wrong, I am no supporter of Egypt. It is led by a corrupt government that has mostly squandered its position of leadership in the Arab world. However, Mubarak’s Egypt is an ally of America and does have a “peace” accord with Israel. If Mubarak’s regime falls, it is likely Egypt will go the way of Pakistan.

The Copt bombing which occurred following the red mosque fiasco could galvanize Egyptian Islamists. Mubarak is being heavily criticized, both domestically and internationally, for election fraud and the Islamists are attempting to create a tipping-point event to ensure that Mubarak is overthrown. Like post-Musharraf Pakistan, Egypt’s subsequent central government will be weak, and the Islamists who always seem to be lurking in the back waiting to jump will overrun Egypt. Who has been supporting the Islamists? According to a plethora of sources, including Mubarak himself, Iran.

If Egypt falls under Islamist control, peace with Israel will be a bitter-sweet memory. Jordan -seeing that Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt have fallen under the influence of Iran- will also submit to the anti-Israel coalition.

This will create a vacuum for a global-power, like China, to establish a foothold in the region. Unlikely, you say. Remember it was the Soviet Union which supplied Syria and Egypt to counter American influence, in the guise of Israel, prior to Camp David. China, like the Soviets, will likely jump at the opportunity to secure its growing energy demand, and will accomplish this by challenging American influence by arming its Iranian allies. Israel, surrounded by enemies on every side as it was prior to the Yom Kippur war, will be weakened, along with the power that rules it, America.

From Israel’s perspective, it would be akin to national suicide to stand by and watch itself be surrounded completely by Iran. An Iran that recently hanged an Israeli spy and has been the primary enabler of both Hamas and Hezbollah. Without peace with Egypt and Jordan, Israel will be back to the position it was before war with the Arabs, and this time around the Arabs will backed by a nuclear Iran.

For America the question is: do we allow a region, which supplies a significant amount of oil to America, to be controlled by a country that calls for a new world order (i.e. for America to be replaced)? Or do we continue pursuing our current policy of challenging Iran, and prop up Mubarak of Egypt? Barring a revolution in energy technology, American policy makers, both left and right wing, need to put ideology aside and not miss what is going on.

For Israel the issue is clear. It must do what it can to support Mubarak against the Islamists, and their Iranian backers.

Separate Housing: With All Due Respect I Must Object to the Rabbis Position

2010-12-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

One of the most unappreciated ramifications of European ghetto laws was that instead of leading to assimilation and conversion they perpetuated Orthodox Judaism. Yes that’s right, by prohibiting Jews from mingling with their gentile neighbors the state and church helped ensure strong and homogenous Jewish communities that are the antecedents of present world Jewry. The extraordinary advantages that these ghetto communities engendered were not lost on the Jewish faithful. Today nearly every city with a large Jewish population includes a segment of that Jewish demographic that chooses to reinvent the ghetto atmosphere. Precisely because its enables strong centralization of Jewish authority which is, they claim, a prerequisite for high levels of conformity to orthodox Jewish life.

Ironically, for the first time in the history of the Jewish Diasporas a minority of Israeli Rabbis are embracing a logic similar to that used by their European oppressors. Don’t get me wrong, the European gentiles were not faced with terror or the threat of assimilation -Judaism is not easy, and Jews don’t voluntarily blow children up (please see “Understanding the Goldstone Report: Intentions vs. Results”, if you find this assertion interesting). Conversely, Jews have a history of assimilation and Arabs a history of terror.

Still, Israeli Rabbis should not ignore the historical results of this logic. Remember, when the gentiles coerced separation, the result was a resilient Jewish community, and one that was prevented from contributing (their loss!). On the other hand, here in the states, some Jews have embraced the melting-pot ethos and completely assimilated into larger American society. Others have embraced the more modern notion of multi-culture America and have completely maintained their Jewish identity. Regardless most are overwhelmingly loyal citizens who contribute in every way to American society.

So I must ask: are the Israeli Rabbis implying that Arab-Israelis cannot do the same?

Yes I know that America has friendly relations with Israel, and that contributes to Jewish-American loyalty. But Jews in Iran are loyal to Iran despite Iran’s track-record vis-à-vis Israel. The same can be said regarding Jews in Britain, France, Brazil, and Turkey despite their, often, hostile stance towards Israel. My point is simple; just because Israeli-Arabs have reason to be disloyal does not mean that they are inherently disloyal.

I also know that many Israeli-Arabs are disloyal and often involved in the vilest anti-Israeli activities. But even if most Israeli-Arabs oppose Israeli treatment of Arabs in Gaza and the West-bank -and vocalize their opposition to that end-, they do so within the confines of Israeli law. Americans are renowned for vocalizing their extreme opposition to leaders and many American celebrities visit America's enemies (Michael Moore, Carter, Oliver Stone…all incidentally are often associated with antisemitism), but they are not discriminated against and nor should they be.

Yes, if Israeli-Arabs violate the law they should be prosecuted. Yes, I believe in a certain degree of profiling in Israel and abroad. Yes, Israeli-Arabs have yet to contribute in any meaningful way to the success of their host state. Yes, the Rabbis have every right to express their position. Indeed, the notion that separating Jew from Arab will protect Jews from terror, assimilation, and moral decay, may have some merit. But separate housing will never prevent the above from occurring, just look at the Jewish ghettos that spot New York and Jerusalem. Are they free of Arab terror, or of assimilation, or of moral depravity?!

We know that in a fair society true social cohesion is possible. I believe Israel is such a society. Therefore, with all due respect, I must object to the Rabbis’ position.

Poetry with an Explanation:The Path of the LSAT is...

2010-12-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

I digress, you know I don't write like this.
It's therapy in the making. The person replaced with the screen,
the lips supplanted by the fingers,
expression exchanged for ideas,
the couch without the love-seat.

But here is the abnormal, please don't hold it against me.

The mind needs time to acclimate, to wake
6 am becomes the time to awake
Never mind what to do you need to prepare your self
To replicate the environment that you will be subjected to

No coffee, before 12!
Why not?
Because you’ll require it to be alert,
and if you drink you will crash in middle of the test

Sit for 2 hours and 55 minutes with no interruption
So that when test day arrives you wont be sedate

My head is expanding my forehead is imploding
You think that choice is correct?
But look the answer key rejects.

I sit there in a room a man barks 5 min, I jump
Three questions left, that’s sufficient time
But the pressure of the clock is hard to define

No alcohol or pot
No mechanical pencils or watches.

Instead,
Salmon, tuna, avocado, and almonds
0mega-3s’ and 6s’ working out with intensity
a simple analogue clock and yellow pencils

I wake in a sweat, the short fat proctor is replaced with my dark silhouette.
No it is not test day but its coming soon, and my dreams are replete with the coming day of truth.
What more can I do, for four years work and 4.03 to boot. But that wont do.
Nooooo, instead a 4 hour test that will help them choose. One man said to the other “the law school looks at three factors, the first, second and third number of your LSAT score”. Ouch!

So I swayed and prayed, practiced Tai Chi and meditated.

I Studied with alacrity and imagined the feeling of Yale calling

No matter what this time I did what I needed to be done,

and far as the result that will remain to be seen.

But the path of the LSAT is...well... frankly obscene.

Yale Law II: Do You Believe in a Higher Power?

2010-12-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

In applying to Yale law school I was required to submit a 250 word essay on any give topic. Below is the second essay amongst the three finalists:

Do you believe in a higher power?

Why?

If you believe in a higher power and were never asked why, then you may consider asking yourself this, ostensibly, simple question. That is, of course, if you accept the premise that one can sustain ones beliefs only if one strives to understand ones beliefs. That said, I recently asked myself why do I believe in a higher power?

After much thought I respond to the question of why, with the Marxian conception of religion as a crutch ("Die Religion…ist das Opium des Volkes" ). However, the term “crutch” is value neutral and need not have negative connotations. Instead it could invoke the same positive regard that “leaning on family” carries. Framed as such, belief in a higher power can play an important role in an individual’s emotional and physiological equilibrium.

Yet the analogy between one purpose of family (to lean on) and belief in a higher power (a crutch) goes far beyond reconfiguring common held interpretations. Indeed, the degree of one’s relationship with one’s family in times of calm can determine the extent that one can lean on family in time of need. So to the degree that belief in a higher power can serve as a crutch is correlated with ones connection with that higher power in times of stability. In other words, for belief in a higher power to serve as a reliable crutch, one may need to invest, develop, and maintain a relationship before the crutch is needed.

Has Russia Finally Chosen Israel and the West?

2010-12-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev recent confirmation that he will be visiting Israel in January may have serious implications for Israel, the region, and international relations.

First and foremost, it signifies a choice has been made by Russia regarding who it wishes to ally itself with in the middle-east. The origins of this choice hails back to 2005 when, then, Russian president Vladimir Putin became the first Russian head of state to visit Israel. But Putin was also dealing heavily with Israel’s and the Wests opponents. Indeed, since that 2005 visit Russia has built a permanent navy base in Syria and has been the main supplier, after North Korea, of nuclear know-how to Iran.

Through 2007, the Putin led Russia seemed to be leaning towards choosing Iran/Syria. This choice was made easier by Bush’s aggressive push for missile defense in Russia’s historic sphere of Influence -Poland and Ukraine. Russia was also pushed towards Iran/Syria by the revelations that followed the 2007 Georgian-Russian war. Russia discovered that tiny Georgia was fielding superior Israeli weapons (small arms and UAV‘s), and that Israel had trained Georgian commandos. However the Obama’s reset initiative, which included revising missile defense in conjunction with the election of a more modern thinking Medvedev, spurred Russia to reevaluate its Middle Eastern strategy.

The fruits of the last two years have evidently ripened as evidenced by the Russian president’s announcement to visit Israel. According to Debka.com the agenda will include:

1. Acquiring a billion dollars in Israeli UAV technology in exchange for a long term commitment to not sell advanced technology, like the S-300 air-defense system to Iran and Syria.
2. To not instinctively support unconditional Palestinian demands, .
3. To involve itself, along with Greece, in the process of developing and distributing, the three major oil/gas fields recently discovered off the cost of Israel, which some estimate to have over 30 trillion cubic feet of retrievable oil/gas.

From Israel’s perspective this is great news and a long awaited development because:

1. It seriously undermines Israel’s enemies in the region which history has shown is a prerequisite for peace. For example, it was only after Soviet backed Eygpt and Syria were defeated in the Yom Kippur war that Egyptian president Sadat was amenable to replacing Soviet arms with American dollars and peace with Israel. There is reason to believe that an Iran without the backing of Russia (and hopefully soon China) is an Iran that will open its eyes to peace through peace.

2. Russia’s acceptance of Israel reflects a Russia that is willing to deal rationally with reality; Israel is currently the most stable power in the Middle East- not Iran, Turkey, or the Arabs. (I know some of my Turkish friend may disagree, but Israel has a track-record that does not include a coup every 20 years and does include unwavering support for its friends, despite changes in political power, Turkey does not). This is always good for an Israel that is so often the target of irrational behavior.

3. The very fact that Russia, a long term opponent of Israel is reaching out to Israel is a sign of the times. Namely, rational and forward thinking countries want to be Israel’s friend, not because of some Zionist conspiracy but because Israel has so much to offer. China, a relatively pragmatic nation, has long attempted to establish a special relationship with Israel. But Israel, in its commitment to its closest ally America has “politely” rebuffed these efforts. For example in 2002 Israel violated a 2 billion dollar contract to upgrade Chinese military platforms over objections by America. Russia, like China, wants access to Israel.
Yet Russia’s realignment implies more than just an attempt to access Israel’s intellectual treasures.

Some have interpreted it as a strategic attempt at capitalizing on America’s failures in the region.

Indeed, if wikileaks has exposed anything it is that Obama is misguided, however well-intentioned, in his efforts to force an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. Pressure on Israel inevitably strengthens Israel’s enemies by keeping Israel on the defensive, unable to leverage its formidable offensive apparatus. But these enemies, led by Iran, are perceived by everyone in the region excluding Turkey and Syria, as the most immediate threat to regional stability. Thus Russia, sees an Obama led administration as shooting itself in the foot, and wants to access the growing feeling in the Israeli and Arab political establishment that America is not as trustworthy an ally as it should be. Conversely, Russia is seen as capable of seriously undermining Iran by putting pressure on China, and halting its nuclear support to Iran.

The far-left and, some in, the far-right in the West may refuse to acknowledge this but Israel’s hegemonic military power is the stabilizing force in the middle-east and Israel’s allies benefit immensely from its position, not the cause of conflict. Russia has come to terms with this just as an Obama led America is moving away from this truth.

I don’t necessarily accept that Russia is attempting to replace America; it is also possible that Russia is coming to terms with its international responsibility, namely, to play a positive role in world affairs. From this perspective, Russia is a rational state that seeks to contribute positively in a way that maximizes its own benefit, and is developing stronger ties with other nations that wish the same –like Israel. This has the tacit effect of moving Russia away from failed ideologies that emanate from the rape-filled prisons of Iran and other such negative state-actors that seem to gravitate towards anti-Israel rhetoric/alliances.

Likewise, Russia may align itself with Israel and by proxy America in order to reinvigorate a Democratic world-order that is increasingly coming under the shadow of an emerging undemocratic China. In short, Russia -which has historically vacillated between the West and East-, is making a choice to align itself with the West as it is embodied by Israel.

Who knows, maybe the next batch of wikileaks will shed light on Medvedev’s Russia.

Yale Law l: The Irony of Abundance

2010-11-22T22:58:00.000-08:00

In applying to Yale law school I was required to submit a 250 word essay on any give topic. Below is the first essay amongst my the three finalists:

The New York Times recently published an article exploring the problematic implications of rampant technological use on the brains of high school students. Yet, the source of the problem is not the abundance and pervasiveness of technology, such as Facebook, smart-phones, and I-pads, but rather its misuse.While our technological age has opened the floodgates of information that was once the privilege of the elite, it has also, ironiclly, created a problem of too much information. But the irony of abundance is not limited to technology. The abundance of food -itself a result of technological knowhow- has created a plethora of unimaginable dilemmas for Americans. Whereas as once our society was afflicted with starvation now we are burdened by over-sized guts and an epidemic of obesity related health problems that kill more Americans each year than malnutrition ever did.

How is it that our society has so abused the abundance we have achieved? Instead of leveraging the, relatively cheap, abundance of healthy produce to engender a well nourished and healthy society we have used an economy of scale to create fast food that unhealthier than it is cheap.. Instead of gorging ourselves on the intellectual bounty of C-span and PBS, we have squandered our access to knowledge on YouTube, online porn, and yellow journalism.

But, like nuclear energy, we must embrace abundance however terrible our failure to choose correctly is. True the higher we climb the greater the fall, but technology is value neutral. It offers us the choice to choose greatness, to actualize the positive inherent in the irony of abundance.

Get Your Hands off Our Collective Junk and Start Profiling!

2010-11-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

"Get your hands off my junk, or I will have you arrested!".

This is one version of the refrain that it being spoken, or shouted, across the nation. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been authorized by a Homeland Security directive to place full body scanners in many of America’s airports. Yes that's rights, now, when you shuffle by JFKs security check, it will not only be the holes in your socks that are "exposed", but also the most private of your private property.

Of course you can opt-out and be subjected to a thorough hands-on grouping.

When confronted with this impossible choice, many just shrug their heads or murmur that is the better of two evils, the other being a terrorist attack. Yet I wonder does this approach really increase our security?

I mean Israel faces a much more consistent threat and has an airline security apparatus that is the envy of the modern world, so why don't they grope and expose? Yes Israel is a tiny country and, with only one major international airport, it faces much less of a logistical problem. But given that HS measures are so intrusive, should we not do everything possible to avoid them, especially considering their obvious logical flaws?

I mean in Israel, (and I apologize for continuing to return to them as the paradigm, but they understand terror) there are checkpoints at the entrance to the airport. This is because terrorists will target any location with high density human populations -malls, trains, restaurants etc. In other words "exposing" Americans does not in the least prevent terror; on the contrary it surrenders to it.

Yes terrorists have a special incentive to specifically bomb plains so as to undermine our economic viability, but Israel has dealt with that without fondling every visitor and citizen.
Put otherwise, the TSA's actions are both unnecessary and don't work.

So why is our increasingly inept government reaching into our pants, this time through the zipper?
Undoubtedly some, you know who you are, will respond that the corporations, and politicians desperate for local job creation, are pushing for the acceptance of these secularized porn flick apparatuses. Ok, but we can just as easily employ private security firms, similar to Blackwater, to help ensure our security.

I know what you’re thinking:

That this suggestion just brings us back to square one, and standard TSA practices are failing.
Yes but that’s not what I mean. You see I think the TSA can do its job and do it as effectively as Israel. All we need to do is profile.

When I brought this up with a Muslim friend he was aghast, and I don't blame him. But the profiling system that Israel uses is a lot more sophisticated and accurate, then just identifying and separating Middle-Eastern/Muslim faces from the crowd. Think the show "Don't Lie to Me", coupled with a comprehensive computer system that integrates million of disparate pieces of information into a near perfect assessment of individual fliers.

For instance, prior to the x-ray baggage check on international flights to Israel, EVERY customer is subjected to a brief but friendly interrogation. The answers are evaluated not only by their content but also by delivery. Obviously this is only one small part in a multi-layered process that is very expensive. But so are those machines and the privacy they violate.

It all boils down to whether our society is so frightened by the term profiling that we are willing to give up exactly that which we are afraid of loosing with government profiling: our autonomy, privacy, and self-respect.

If you ask me get your hands off our collective junk and start profiling!