Like most seasoned American disaffecteds, I was anything but excited about sitting through last year’s low-intensity Obama-Romney slugfest. Of much more significance than my night spent at Harvard Obama headquarters (correction: the IOP), I’ve had the fortune of being on the ground to experience two momentous Middle Eastern elections in the last seven months. Studying at Alexandria … Read more
From 1986 to 1989, the Kurds of Iraq suffered through one of the grizzliest genocides in human history. It was the First Gulf War, and Saddam Hussein was executing his al-Anfal campaign –a psychopathic bid to rid an ethnically fractured nation of its ‘Kurdish problem.’ Through the use of chemical weapons, the ‘concentration’ of Kurds … Read more
The United Nations has just voted to elevate the status of Palestine from “non-member observer entity” to “non-member observer state” but will anything change in the murky Israeli- Palestinian relationship? After all, a few days ago Palestinian rockets were flying towards Israel as the Jewish state responded with air strikes. What significance does elevating Palestine … Read more
Right now, my inbox is full of many more emails than I would like about Israel and Palestine. As part of the Harvard College Progressive Jewish Alliance, I am part of a campaign to “Open Hillel” by convincing Hillel International to allow co-sponsorships with groups that advocate for boycotts of, divestment from, or sanctions on … Read more
A casual observer of the Syrian uprising could be excused for viewing the conflict as a battle between good and evil. The narrative that dominates Western media coverage certainly paints the struggle as a black and white contest between freedom-lovers and bloodthirsty authoritarians. But in reality, this ethnic quarrel should be described only in a smear … Read more
Jordan is one of the world’s most unique polities. In the most volatile region on Earth, the nation stands out as a country with a largely neutral foreign policy and strikingly moderate leadership. King Abdullah II maintains control of his country despite the wave of leaders overthrown during the Arab Spring. He does not rule … Read more
Following the recent firestorm of anti-American protests in the Middle East and the provocative remarks made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the UN General Assembly, the discussion regarding the U.S. relationship with Israel is back in the spotlight. The Romney campaign accuses the Obama administration of being soft-liners with regards to U.S. defense of … Read more
The Arab Spring and the ongoing conflict in Syria have prompted discussions of authority, democracy and legitimate governance. The many proponents of democratization appeal to human rights as established in international law to further their cause. That is, given that international law affords every person certain inalienable rights, such as freedom of speech and conscience, … Read more
As my research in Israel on philosophical issues surrounding military conscription progresses, I have begun to reflect on my experiences thus far. One particular idea that I have repeatedly encountered in both my research and everyday conversations with Israelis is the role that the military service plays in forming the bonds that underlie Israeli society. … Read more
Despite growing up to witness the turn of a millennium, history’s single-bloodiest attack on American soil, and the election of the first black president, it took me nearly twenty years and oceans away from home to truly take part in my first collective moment of baited breath—countdown, crowded room, grainy television and all. Having arrived … Read more