Conjunctions

Today in Haaretz.com, Akiva Ekdar chides his compatriots for mocking Obama’s Nobel.  Addressing his Israeli readers he remarks:

We are the last ones who should complain about the inaction of foreigners in anything that has to do with our conflict. One needs considerable Jewish chutzpah to elect a right-wing government and then expect the goyim to rescue us from it…

While Obama is promoting universal dialogue based on hope for a better future, combating racism and improving human rights, in Israel they were impressed by Netanyahu's use of the Holocaust and horror.

Ekdar expects that the upcoming report by Hilary Clinton on the situation in Palestine “… will wipe the smile of victory off Netanyahu's face”.  He however has little hope for any real change:

If the erosion of the Jewish character of Israel [through Netanyahu’s right wing policies – GLK] does not cause the Jews in Manhattan to lose any sleep, why should it affect a Catholic member of Congress from Massachusetts? If Israelis themselves feel comfortable living with the conflict, why should the Americans go out of their way to end it?

Unfortunately I fear he is correct, as the last thing you can expect of an American politician (well, most politicians anywhere) is backbone.

But obviously the big three-fold elephant in the room here is also the answer to that last question why the Americans should resolve this conflict:  the Palestinians, for whom ‘comfortable living’ remains the dream, the global public opinion that is increasingly outraged by Israeli atrocities, and the strategic importance of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a world beyond Hubbert’s Peak.

A selection of interesting posts I discovered over the weekend:

• It does not surprise me that we can count on the Daily Mail in the fight against President Blair.  Do I appreciate it? Hmmm.

• Robert Fuller at DailyKos praises Obama’s Dignitarian Politics.

• A thoughtful and moving warning to everybody contemplating political violence:  foxholeatheist tells us what civil war in America will look like.

• Science stating the obvious.

• Just as a reminder, I googled the Homosexual Agenda.  Now what am I supposed to be doing today? This or that?

• Stuart Fox has some pertinent questions for the Singularity Prophets.  Somehow the idea of the Singularity sounds silly in a world where everything is breaking down.  It increasingly sounds like a 21st Century version of ‘Going Galt’, the rich separating themselves permanently from the rest of us. (Thanx to Philip for alerting me to this).

Enjoy.

It is clear that, apart from his concrete accomplishments in the field of international diplomacy (which in itself merits the Nobel Peace prize), Obama received the Nobel mainly for the promises he made during his campaign.  Just to clarify our expectations, these are the issues Obama still needs to resolve in order to really earn the rest of his prize and make our admiration lasting:

• Stop the wars.
• Re-implement financial regulation and economic reform.
• Guarantee human rights and equality for gays.
• Prosecute torture and the abuses of the Bush regime.
• Implement effective climate change policies.

To some extent one can understand the White House using the excuses that the President has a lot on his plate and the country is too divided for action (specifically wrt torture and gays).  But if you look at what he then has on his plate, it boils down to the wars (so stop them), the economy (which needs regulation and reform), human rights (so repeal DADT and DOMA, and set up a Truth and Reconciliation process), and climate change.  So I don’t get this excuse.