Opinion

• Opinion

  How Global Warming Felled Mubarak

  The craziest part of the uprising in Egypt is how it caught us all by surprise. After all, it was predicted — three years ago. Unfortunately, nobody was paying attention. It sounded too weird. The warnings weren’t coming from political analysts, but from climate and crop experts. Which means — what? Climate topples dictator? No…

  By J.J. Goldberg

  3 min read
• Opinion

  ‘From Hell to Paradise’

  It was 25 years ago, and I still remember the deep, sharp cold as we stood on the Glienicke Bridge that winter morning. The day before, journalists from around Europe were brought to the bridge that separated the outskirts of West Berlin from the East German town of Potsdam. Something important was to happen the…

  By Jane Eisner Feb 2, 2011 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Egyptian Choices

  The revolution sweeping the Arab world is both exhilarating and frightening, and it is understandable that fear is overtaking excitement in the hearts of many American Jews. We are anxious about threats to Israel’s safety and the waning Western influence in a region that suddenly has exploded with populist rage. Our geopolitical expectations are violently…

  Feb 2, 2011 | 2 min read

Columnists View All

• Jodi Rudoren This is my last column as editor of the Forward

  

• Jay Michaelson American Jews were played — now what?

  

• Rob Eshman A new humanitarian outrage is unfolding in the Middle East. It’s not in Gaza

  

• Nora Berman The left is turning on AOC over Israel — and imperiling its own agenda

  

• Dan Perry Recognizing a Palestinian state is a great way to doom Palestinians

  

• Emily Tamkin Is starvation in Gaza really Israel’s fault? The facts are clear

  

The Latest

• Opinion

  Will Tunisians Rue Their Revolution?

  It is somewhat ironic that Tunisia would be the catalyst for revolutionary upheaval in Egypt and, quite possibly, for future uprisings in the Arab world. Tunisia’s founding father, Habib Bourguiba, turned his nose up at Gamal Abdel Nasser’s pan-Arabism, emphasizing instead his own country’s uniqueness and forging close ties with the West. And, as I…

  By John R. Bradley Feb 2, 2011 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Glenn Beck Isn’t the Only Offender

  In recent weeks the debate about branding one’s political opponents “Nazis” has become quite heated. Most of the attention has focused on Fox News’s star performer Glenn Beck, who has made it a practice to compare his opponents to Nazis. Alas, Beck is not the only one at Fox making such offensive comparisons. When Fox…

  By Deborah E. Lipstadt Feb 2, 2011 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Israel’s Stakes, Egypt’s Streets

  With Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic, pro-Western regime under threat from the angry Egyptian masses, it appears we are witnessing a new dawn for the power of the “Arab street” in Egypt, Tunisia and potentially elsewhere. This is going to be a profound challenge for Israel, whose only diplomatic or even clandestine relationships with Arab states have…

  By Yossi Alpher Jan 31, 2011 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  In Cairo, Stability, Democracy — or Neither?

  Be careful what you wish for. Over the years, American officials have with modest frequency lectured other countries about their denial of basic civil liberties to their citizens. Some lectures have been quite public: Cuba and Venezuela come readily to mind. Others, such as China, have typically been reported sotto voce. During the Cold War,…

  By Leonard Fein Jan 31, 2011 | 3 min read
• Opinion

  Reuters: Spreading Unrest in Arab World Bodes Ill for Israel

  This is the first bit or reporting I’ve seen on the strategic implications for Israel of all the popular ferment in the Middle East. By Crispian Balmer of Reuters Jerusalem bureau, Analysis: Bad neighborhood risks getting worse for Israel: Political turmoil in Lebanon has strengthened Israel’s Iranian-backed enemy Hezbollah, while a leak of hundreds of…

  By J.J. Goldberg Jan 27, 2011 | 2 min read
• 
  Opinion

  Exit Joe: Lieberman and His Legacy

  Bipartisanship Blues By E.J. Kessler Liberals love to extol the virtues of bipartisanship. Why then do so many despise Joe Lieberman, who spent his Senate career practicing it? On homeland security, terrorism, the environment, trade and gays in the military, among other issues, Lieberman worked with legislators of both major parties to make America safer,…

  Jan 27, 2011 | 4 min read
• Opinion

  Mapping a Way Forward

  There is always reason for despair when it comes to the prospect of a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and there’s no sense in enumerating why. The evidence is obvious. Those of us buoyed by each new attempt to jumpstart talks too often feel like Jets fans at the beginning of football season, bound…

  Jan 26, 2011 | 2 min read
• Opinion

  Who Isn’t a Jew?

  Last July, when Chelsea Clinton married Marc Mezvinsky in a wedding that juxtaposed Jewish objects, rituals and traditions with non-Jewish ones, the ensuing conversation was laced with all the ambivalence American Jews feel about intermarriage. But when an assassination attempt nearly took the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in early January, ambivalence took a back…

  Jan 26, 2011 | 2 min read