Israelis have voted to take control of their own destiny
March 31, 2006 | Colin Rubenstein
AS EXPECTED, Ehud Olmert, the leader of the Kadima party founded by Ariel Sharon last year, won a mandate to govern Israel in Tuesday’s election, albeit one smaller than predicted.
Israeli politics swings to the centre
March 30, 2006 | Ted Lapkin
A WISE man once counselled me to avoid the business of making predictions — especially if they had anything to do with the future. And as the dust begins to settle from Israel’s parliamentary elections, enough surprises have emerged to validate the wisdom of that advice.
Middle course for Israel will be Sharon’s legacy
March 25, 2006 | Ted Lapkin
Even by the tempestuous standards of Middle East politics, it’s been one helluva year. Last August, Ariel Sharon upended decades of Israeli defence policy by implementing a withdrawal of forces and settlements from Gaza.
Why we must stop Iran
March 22, 2006 | Colin Rubenstein
UNITED States senator and former presidential candidate John McCain said recently: “There is only one thing worse than the US exercising a military option (against Iran), and that is a nuclear-armed Iran.”
Missed chance to right wrongs
March 22, 2006 | Ted Lapkin
IT was a typical UN decision: a triumph of style over substance that aggravates the problem rather than improves it. Last week, the UN voted to abolish its scandal-scarred Commission on Human Rights. But the Human Rights Council created as an alternative constitutes a cure that is worse than the original disease.
Jihadists would celebrate closure of Guantanamo as a propaganda victory
March 7, 2006 | Ted Lapkin
IT IS A SIMPLE truth of human nature that those who reward anti-social behaviour will end up getting more of it. The feebler the penalty paid for past atrocities, the flimsier the deterrent against future acts of barbarity.
Tears of blood still to be shed
February 27, 2006 | Ted Lapkin
BY what title do you address someone who dispatches suicide bombers to seek and destroy innocent civilians in cafes, restaurants and commuter buses? Well, in Gaza, you may as well call him Mr Prime Minister.
Deterrent force of prison camp is all that militants understand
February 23, 2006 | Ted Lapkin
It is a simple truth of human nature that those who reward anti-social behaviour will end up getting more of it. The feebler the penalty paid for past atrocities, the flimsier the deterrent against future acts of barbarity.
Adept at puerile politics
February 15, 2006 | Ted Lapkin
Call out the Marines! If the protest rhetoric coming from the Islamic world means anything at all, the next target of a rampaging mob will be the US Supreme Court on Capitol Hill.
Munich film massacres history to preach message
January 30, 2006 | Colin Rubenstein
Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” claims to be historical fiction. Unfortunately, it is much more fictional than historical, promotes a morally dubious philosophy and is divorced from the realities of terrorism and counter-terrorism.
Everything but the truth
January 27, 2006 | Ted Lapkin
Last December, I received an invitation to attend a free preview screening of Steven Spielberg’s new film, Munich. My shorthand reaction to the movie is that it was worth every penny that I paid to see it. But given Spielberg’s moral ambitions for this flick, as well as the splash it is making in the media, I suppose that it deserves something more than mere flippancy and sarcasm.
