TLP Week in Review, 10/15-10/21
TLP Week in Review, 10/15-10/21
Your weekly summary of what we've been up to here at The Liberal Patriot.
What We’re Reading (and Watching and Listening To…)
“Can peace efforts break through the barbed wire of war?”: TLP editor-at-large Brian Katulis writes in Al Majalla on how regional peace efforts can survive the outbreak of war in Gaza: “The shocking and horrific events in Gaza and Israel have propelled the region into a new, dangerous phase. It remains uncertain how this latest round of violence will end and what the human toll will be. As this conflict goes on, many questions will remain unanswered for a long period of time, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the long-term trends and bigger picture in the region, and we also shouldn’t lose sight of the historic openings that might still exist once the dust finally settles from this current conflict.”
“Abandoned by Progressives, American Jews Will Rethink Their Priorities”: Israel Policy Forum chief policy officer and TLP contributor Michael Koplow observes in The Messenger that American Jews—“overwhelmingly politically left of center”—feel betrayed by their erstwhile political allies on the left in the wake of the October 7 terrorist atrocities in Israel: “What has become unfortunately clear over the past week is that while American Jews have fought assiduously for the rights of other minorities, that courtesy is not being universally extended in return…If supposed progressives continue to defend the murder of civilians as consistent with freedom and justice for oppressed people, they will find that their anti-Zionist agenda has only made Jews more Zionist, in the process scoring an own goal against their desire to demonize the Jewish state and transforming American Jewish views of antisemitism in the process.”
“How the West—and Israel Itself—Inadvertently Funded Hamas”: Wall Street Journal reporters Rory Jones, Ian Talley, and Benoit Faucon detail how Hamas “raised tens of millions of dollars by skimming off humanitarian assistance and taxing economic activity stirred by a trade opening into its Gaza Strip stronghold,” taking advantage of international aid and Israeli policies intended to boost Gaza’s economic prospects to support its own members and carry out terrorist attacks—including the October 7 massacre in Israel.
“The New Economic Security State”: In Foreign Affairs, Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman take a look at the complications involved in the Biden administration’s push to establish greater economic security after an era of globalization and integration, making a number of key recommendations including: learn from Japan and the European Union, give the Commerce Department and Office of Science and Technology Policy the resources they needs to do their jobs, and come up with a coherent economic security strategy to guide policy.
The Feelies: Some Kinda Love. New Jersey jangle-pop pioneers The Feelies played an entire show of Velvet Underground covers at the White Eagle Hall in Jersey City a few years back. That concert has just been released on double album and includes nice versions of Velvets’ classics like “White Light/White Heat” and “Rock & Roll.” The Feelies and VU—two great tastes that taste great together. Catch The Feelies live in Philadelphia this November if you can.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. If you didn’t manage to catch Taylor Swift’s colossal tour this summer (or couldn’t snag tickets to any new shows next year), this excellent nearly three hour concert film is about as close as you’ll be able to get to that experience—and a damn good piece of entertainment in its own right.
What We’ve Posted
“Global Temperatures Are Spiking,” by TLP contributor and Breakthrough Institute climate and energy co-director Patrick Brown.
“Time to Throw the Intersectional Left Under the Bus!” by TLP politics editor Ruy Teixeira.
“Why Trump Lost Georgia,” by Echelon Insights pollster and first-time TLP contributor Patrick Ruffini.
“President Biden’s Historic Wartime Visit to the Middle East,” by TLP editor-at-large Brian Katulis and senior managing editor Peter Juul.
“Go Big on U.S. Political Reform,” by Bard College Dean of Global Programs Daniel Calingaert.
“Targeting Distressed Places,” by TLP contributor Timothy Barthik.
Just one more thing…
So artificial intelligence is useful after all! Learn how one University of Nebraska-Lincoln student used an AI program to reveal what was written on a scroll buried in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
