After New York
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,595, June 3, 2020
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: New York City is the largest urban area in the US. It has the biggest economy and is the nation’s financial and cultural center. It also contains the largest …
Coronavirus: A Sputnik Moment for Science Education
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,536, April 20, 2020
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The coronavirus pandemic has tragically revealed the shortcomings of many institutions, but it has also exposed how poorly science and technology education have shaped the understanding of both policymakers …
Coronavirus: State Responses and Cultural Dimensions
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,493, March 19, 2020
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The coronavirus crisis has demonstrated the strengths and weaknesses of many global systems but has fundamentally challenged individual states, which have responded with contradictory policies grounded in local cultures. …
Sanders, AIPAC, and Israel
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,460, February 26, 2020
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Unpacking Senator Bernie Sanders’s announcement that he will not attend the annual AIPAC Policy Conference because the organization provides a “platform” for “leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic …
Democrats, Experts, and Peace Plans
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,436, February 4, 2020
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Trump “Deal of the Century” has elicited responses ranging from enthusiastic support to bitter rejection. Among those rejecting the plan are US Democratic candidates for president. Their instant …
The Soleimani Killing: An Initial Assessment
Mideast Security and Policy Studies Paper #168
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The targeted killing by the US of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force and close confidant of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has unsettled the region and the world. We …
Implications of the British Election for Jews and Israel
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,377, December 20, 2019
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The British election returned a resounding mandate to the Conservative Party and decimated the antisemitism-wracked Labour Party. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was exposed as unlikeable and incompetent, and as …
Trump and the “Settlements”: A Preliminary Analysis
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,352, November 22, 2019
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Trump administration’s decision to repudiate an earlier approach that regarded Israeli communities across the “Green Line” as illegal has been praised and condemned. While there may be merit …
Clarity Amidst Chaos: The Implications of Trump’s Syria Policy
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,324, October 27, 2019
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The American withdrawal from Syria has produced chaotic results – but as with many aspects of President Trump’s presidency, it offers an opportunity to view realities with a new …
BDS, Antisemitism, and Class
BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,312, October 17, 2019
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Contemporary antisemitism has the ability to graft itself onto a variety of causes and movements. But the social and information environment in the US and Europe is strongly conditioned …