In the latest episode of my podcast "On the Issues," I spoke with Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab about how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has reached the point it is at today. He noted the failure of `gradual negotiations,` which kept delaying discussions of the actual status of the West Bank and Gaza. Listen to this and more; link in bio.
Trump is already preparing to wage war on the midterms because he is viscerally afraid of what a Democratic House would do to him. He knows that if Republicans lose the chamber, impeachment becomes not a threat but a calendar item—and if the Senate refuses to remove him, he will still be exposed as a politically crippled, humiliated lame duck. That terror drives everything: schemes to force last minute registration hurdles, weaponize proof of citizenship rules, drag federal agencies into partisan “verification,” and trample states’ constitutional control over elections. His purpose is brutally clear: strip Black, Hispanic, and immigrant communities of their voice, suppress opposition turnout, manufacture chaos, and cling to power by poisoning faith in the vote itself.
Today’s podcast guest is Daoud Kuttab, an award-winning Palestinian journalist and former Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. He is author of State of Palestine NOW: Practical and logical arguments for the best way to bring peace to the Middle East.
In this episode, we discuss the deterioration of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process since the 1993 Oslo Accords, the failures of Israeli and Palestinian leaderships in the intervening years, and what steps can be taken now to revive the peace process and work toward realizing a Palestinian state.
Listen now; link in bio
Prime Minister Netanyahu does not seek a negotiated peace with the Palestinians; instead, he perpetuates constant hostilities as a means to incrementally seize ever more territory in the West Bank and Gaza—territory he knows he could never secure at the negotiating table.
Energy Independence and the Gas Price Paradox
Declaring in his Wednesday evening address that the US is self-sufficient in oil and gas production, Trump ignored an inconvenient reality: Americans are paying more than $4 per gallon, nearly 40 percent higher than before the war. His attempt to blame “global speculation” sidestepped the fact that his own actions destabilized markets. The contradiction between his claim of independence and the economic pain at the pump highlights his disconnect from policy consequences, eroding trust in his economic leadership.
Read more in my latest article: alonben-meir.com/writing/bluster-without-strategy-trumps-ill-fated-iran-war/
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Democrats worship demon Baal. You worship demon Baal. So this is the connection
Misreading Iran’s Motives
In his address regarding the war in Iran, Trump misinterpreted Iran’s attacks on Gulf states, presenting them as acts of unprovoked aggression rather than strategic retaliation. He seemed unaware—or unwilling to acknowledge—that Iran targeted US bases because it cannot strike American soil. This failure to grasp the logic of deterrence blinds his administration to predictable regional escalations. The omission signals not strength but ignorance of the basic dynamics driving the very conflict he initiated.
alonben-meir.com/writing/bluster-without-strategy-trumps-ill-fated-iran-war/
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In the latest episode of my podcast "On the Issues," I spoke with Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab about how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has reached the point it is at today. He noted the failure of 'gradual negotiations,' which kept delaying discussions of the actual status of the West Bank and Gaza. Listen to this and more here: soundcloud.com/alon-ben-meir/on-the-issues-episode-141
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Boasting About a Declining Economy
Trump lauded what he called “the greatest economy in history” during his speech to the nation on the Iran war, disregarding data showing rising inflation, growing long-term unemployment, and a ballooning deficit. His address read more like a campaign rally than a sober wartime report. By reciting outdated talking points, he appeared detached from the economic hardships Americans face. Far from projecting confidence, his hollow rhetoric amplified the perception of a president insulated from reality and desperate to sustain the illusion of competence.
alonben-meir.com/writing/bluster-without-strategy-trumps-ill-fated-iran-war/
1 CommentComment on Facebook
This makes sense once you realize that he lives in a world between his ears, and the things he says represent that world. They have NO necessary tether to ANY shared reality. Watch for it.
