U.N.’s Human Rights Council Shames Itself Further, If That’s Possible

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The U.N. General Assembly’s selection this week of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Vietnam, and Algeria to its Human Rights Council further tarnishes the U.N.’s reputation and reinforces the Council’s status as a laughingstock on human rights. Moving forward, the Council surely will follow its well-worn path – ignoring the brutal human rights violations of …

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Strong US ties to Israel are the key to a lasting peace in Palestine

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Peace – true peace – is more than the absence of war, more than a temporary respite from continual conflict. True peace rests on trust between parties, and it’s rooted in on-the-ground conditions that ensure its viability. That’s true whether one side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in this case Israel, has deep-seated ties to the …

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U.S., Iran have to sell a deal, not just reach one

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The casual observer of recent Middle East activities might as easily conclude that Washington and Tehran are gearing for war, rather than – perhaps – angling for an agreement over Iran’s nuclear program. The United States will participate in a two-week, Israeli-led military exercise this month with more than 100 aircraft and about 1,000 pilots …

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Alaa Al Aswany: The Grey Lady’s Troubling New Columnist

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The New York Times didn’t know or didn’t care that one of its new high-profile “contributing opinion writers” has long displayed a relentless hostility to Israel and posited startling conspiracy theories about “Zionist” power. The revelations about the best-selling Egyptian novelist and activist Alaa Al Aswany, as highlighted in news reports of recent days, raise …

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America’s allies are drifting thanks to Obama

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The startlingly open breach of recent days between the United States and its once-solid allies in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere in the Middle East reflects region-wide concerns not only about President Obama’s current policy path but, more broadly, about what they regard as his sinking credibility and rising naivety. The breach is rooted less …

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Government Shutdown 2013 Ends: Hey, Washington — The Whole World Was Watching

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The deal that re-opened America’s government and averted a national default should evoke little cheer, for the Washington spectacle of recent weeks has hurt America’s image and influence around the world. The impacts to date are serious enough. They include a Chinese call to “de-Americanize” the world’s economy to lessen its dependence on the U.S. …

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Relax, America – we’ve been here before

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With all eyes in Washington focused on the government shutdown and possible default, policymakers and pundits may have missed what’s potentially the most consequential story of late – a Washington Post piece that catalogues the growing backlash against Tea Party Republicans in districts across the country. In West Michigan, business leaders are recruiting a primary …

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