Imperialism
Israel
Lebanon
Fig. 1. “Sabra & Shatila Massacre 1982 Memorial in Sabra, South Beirut,” photograph by Bertramz, September 2009, via Wikimedia Commons,
During a meeting in Beirut on Monday, [Amos] Hochstein said that a war between Israel and Hezbollah would not be containable, and added that the US was optimistic about restoring stability in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.[1]
Disregard utterly the optimism. Treat it the same way you would politicians making promises “when,” not “if,” they win. It’s not quite deception, at least until they are in a position to fulfill those promises, because if people believe you, it might actually work, but this is the real problem with it: It hopes to reify magical thinking.
Emanuel Fabian, “As rockets fly at north, Gallant says Israel nearing military option against Hezbollah,” Times of Israel, March 5, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-rockets-fly-at-north-gallant-says-israel-nearing-military-option-against-hezbollah/
Imperialism
Russia
Fig. 1. Historic Russian empire, from the New York Times, possibly March 6, 2014, fair use.[2]
What do you write when all you can say is that no opposition to Vladimir Putin is possible and yet, there it is? Julia Ioffe offers a pretty good stab at it.
Julia Ioffe, “Moscow After Navalny,” Puck, March 5, 2024, https://puck.news/moscow-after-navalny/
Illiberalism
Gilead
Donald Trump
Coup attempt
Fig. 1. Cartoon by Ben Jennings, January 24, 2024, via the Guardian,[3] fair use.
Jennifer Rubin thinks Donald Trump won’t be able to campaign while attending his criminal trials and that the Supreme Court has effectively set at least one of those trial dates for the fall, precisely when we would expect the most intense campaigning to occur.[4] I don’t know that she’s right but her argument is certainly interesting.
Meanwhile George Conway sends the Supreme Court back to an undergraduate program. It seems to need instruction in basic logic.[5]
Ann E. Marimow, “Supreme Court keeps Trump on ballot, rejects Colorado voter challenge,” Washington Post, March 4, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/04/supreme-court-trump-ballot-decision/
George T. Conway, III, “The Court’s Colorado Decision Wasn’t About the Law,” Atlantic, March 5, 2024, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/supreme-court-colorado-opinion-trump-disqualify/677646/
Jennifer Rubin, “The Supreme Court did Trump no favors. He’ll be facing a fall trial,” Washington Post, March 5, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/05/supreme-court-timing-trump-trial/
- [1]Emanuel Fabian, “As rockets fly at north, Gallant says Israel nearing military option against Hezbollah,” Times of Israel, March 5, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-rockets-fly-at-north-gallant-says-israel-nearing-military-option-against-hezbollah/↩
- [2]New York Times, “Ukraine Crisis in Maps,” n.d., http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/02/27/world/europe/ukraine-divisions-crimea.html↩
- [3]Ben Jennings, “Ben Jennings on Donald Trump’s progress along the Republican nomination trail – cartoon,” Guardian, January 24, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2024/jan/24/ben-jennings-on-donald-trumps-progress-along-the-republican-nomination-trail-cartoon↩
- [4]Jennifer Rubin, “The Supreme Court did Trump no favors. He’ll be facing a fall trial,” Washington Post, March 5, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/05/supreme-court-timing-trump-trial/↩
- [5]George T. Conway, III, “The Court’s Colorado Decision Wasn’t About the Law,” Atlantic, March 5, 2024, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/supreme-court-colorado-opinion-trump-disqualify/677646/↩