Baron Rothschild, Baron Hirsch, and Extending Sovereignty in the Jordan Valley

The early Zionists had plenty of will but few means with which to achieve their goals, yet they changed the course of Jewish history. Israel today possesses the means to take the opportunity presented by President Trump’s vision, but does it have the will?

A New Reality for the Eastern Mediterranean

The great geostrategic and economic problems the Eastern Mediterranean is currently facing require drastic measures and original thinking. There are success stories in the region that provide positive examples of how a new collective reality can be created through the initiative of the main actors. Deeper cooperation and synergies can prove highly constructive for the region.

Can Israel, Greece, and Turkey Cooperate?

The recent visit of Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Israel was highly symbolic. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries. It may well be possible for Jerusalem and Athens to cooperate with Turkey, though doing so will require all parties to be realistic about what is possible right now in view of the current state of relations with Ankara.

After the Beirut Explosion, Hezbollah Remains In Charge

On August 4, when Beirut Port was destroyed by a massive explosion, Hezbollah suffered a blow—but its ability to shift its illegal arms smuggling and drug export operations from Beirut to other locations in Lebanon will enable it to remain in control of the country.

Second Explosion Expected in Lebanon Later This Month

Even as Lebanon tries to recover from the terrible wounds inflicted by the devastating explosion that took place at the port of Beirut on August 4, another explosion could hit the country on the 18th of this month: the Hague’s verdict on the alleged perpetrators of the assassination of Lebanese PM Rafic Hariri.

Lebanon’s Lessons for Israel

True to form, liberals are hopeful that the Beirut explosion, Macron’s visit to Lebanon, and the youthful demonstrations against the country’s Hezbollah-dominated government herald a new popular unity and a better day for all Lebanese citizens. Neither past nor present suggests that such a happy outcome is likely.

IDF Budget Uncertainty and the Momentum Plan

Momentum, the IDF’s ambitious new multi-year force build-up program, will require a long-term budget framework if it is to achieve its goals—but clouds of uncertainty have gathered around it in the shadow of a massive government deficit.

Turkey’s Generation Z: A Youth Challenge to Erdoğan

Burak Bekdil
August 10, 2020
Paper No. 1685

More than seven million Turks born around the millennium—Generation Z—will vote in the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2023. By age group, they will be the next kingmakers. Studies show they remain distant to politics in general and Erdoğan in particular.

China’s Effect: A Global NATO

China is increasingly viewed by NATO as a competitor, which represents a significant shift in the alliance’s vision. It fits the general narrative that NATO has recently been excessively focused on Russia at a time when China was quietly increasing its cyber capabilities and military power around the world, particularly in the Arctic and Europe. This shift in priorities could propel NATO toward a more globalist vision that would draw it closer to the Indo-Pacific region.

Cancel Culture and the Jewish Experience

Cancel culture—the denial to certain people of any platform on which to express their side of an issue—has become more and more accepted in public debate. It led to a letter decrying it by more than 150 writers and intellectuals in Harper’s Magazine. But the signatories never saw fit to object to the longstanding anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish cancel culture that exists at many Western universities. The letter offers no operational conclusions, though a logical one would be the reformulation of the First Amendment of the US Constitution to make hate speech punishable by law.

Perspectives Papers