Note in Honor of Veterans Day
Dear MEPIN Readers, On this American Veterans Day, I want to honor my dad, Harold Mandel, who served and was injured in World War II. While stationed in occupied Japan,…
Thoughts on Iran after speaking with Sen. James Risch
Published in JNS. Photo: Sen. James Risch, source: Britannica I recently spoke with the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. James Risch of Idaho. I asked him…
Misguided energy policy affects the Middle East and the world – opinion
Photo: Then-Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz (center) with his counterparts from Greece, Cyprus and the EU, and Italy’s minister of economic development, in Tel Aviv in 2017.(photo credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS) Published…
Combating BDS at US Universities
Published in the Jerusalem Report. As an alum of the City University of New York six-year medical program, I read the antisemitic resolution passed by the PSC faculty union of…
Why should the US care if Hamas moves against Israel from Lebanon?
With Iranian help, Hamas, which controls Gaza, is creating a presence in Hezbollah’s backyard in Lebanon. Should it be of any concern to American security interests that Iran supports both…
How the Iraqi Election Affects U.S. National Security Interests
Published by Kurdistan 24. This week’s Iraqi parliamentary election has profound implications for American national security interests. Yet the American people and the Biden administration are either uninterested, weary of…
MEPIN Weekend Note: An invitation
Former ambassador Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has graciously offered my readers an invitation to listen to his conversation with President Biden’s…
MEPIN Weekend Note: Some thoughts on Bob Woodward’s latest book, Peril
I am finishing Bob Woodward’s new book, Peril. Like his previous books, it has been very insightful and provided details I was unaware of. However, it also reminded me there…
What do triggers, trauma and civil rights have in common?
Published in JNS. On the third anniversary of his mother’s death, a friend shared the story of her life during the Holocaust. He told us about how she escaped before…
Should the US consider Iran’s ‘deniable’ attacks a significant threat?
Published in The Hill. For years, Iranian-directed proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and Syria have attacked the Islamic Republic’s enemies. The West has willfully ignored the overwhelming evidence and…