TLP Week in Review, 12/31/23-1/6/24
Your weekly summary of what we've been up to here at The Liberal Patriot.
What We’re Reading (and Watching and Listening To…)
“No shared endgame for Gaza in sight”: TLP’s Brian Katulis observes the differences emerging between the United States and the Israeli government over the “day after” in Gaza, arguing that a “lack of consensus about the desired political end state could, in fact, prolong the conflict…Without a clearly stated political end goal for its military actions, Israel may be producing bigger challenges for itself in the long term.”
“The Case for Disqualifying Trump Is Strong”: Conservative New York Times columnist David French argues that Trump is an obvious candidate for disqualification under the Fourteenth Amendment, and that fear of potential negative consequences is no excuse for holding Trump accountable for his actions. “It’s time to apply the plain language of the Constitution to Trump’s actions and remove him from the ballot—without fear of the consequences. Republics are not maintained by cowardice.”
“Prudence Means Fighting the Houthis Now”: Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and TLP contributor Steven A. Cook calls for the United States and its allies to take decisive military action against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants sooner rather than later. Reluctance to do so is part of “the longer-term trend of Washington having overlearned foreign-policy lessons of the recent past” or because “their analysis begins and ends with the idea that the United States is the problem in the Middle East.”
“The Price of Strategic Slovenliness”: Defense strategy scholar Eliot Cohen discusses his recent trip to Israel with Shield of the Republic podcast co-host Eric Edelman. Cohen “describes the comprehensive nature of the failures (intelligence, political, operational and tactical) that Israel experienced that day and over the next several weeks as well as the resilience with which Israeli society and the IDF have reacted” as well as “the links that [he] believes exist between the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine and the prospective conflict over Taiwan.”
“10 of the most mystifying open questions in science”: At TLP, we do try to look at big questions about politics and policy. But Marcelo Gleiser asks the really big questions in Big Think: What is the universe made of? How did life come about? Are we alone in the universe? And so on.
Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy: A new archival release of these great shows from the summer of 1961 includes just five songs stretched out over 80 minutes, featuring absorbing solos by this pair of jazz legends backed by a crack band including McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums, and Steve Davis on bass. This recording includes live versions of some of Coltrane's finest songs, including “Africa” and his rendition of “Greensleeves.”
Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays: Actress and pop star Selena Gomez returns for a holiday edition of her charming pandemic-era streaming cooking show, now on the Food Network. Gomez, her friends and family, and the celebrity chefs she invites into her home share a quirky, infectious chemistry as they work together to make a quartet of holiday feasts.
What We’ve Posted
“Nikki Haley’s Political Skills Hit the Reality of the GOP’s Working-Class Electorate” by Jewish Insider editor in chief and new TLP contributor Josh Kraushaar.
“Democrats! Time to Re-Embrace Merit, Free Speech, and Universalism” by TLP politics editor Ruy Teixeira.
“The Battle for Normie Ridge” by TLP executive editor John Halpin.
“Why America and Israel Need the Palestinian Authority in Gaza” by Israel Policy Forum Chief Policy Officer Michael Koplow.
Ruy’s Science-Fiction Pulp Cover of the Week
Just one more thing…
That one time in December 1935 the U.S. Army Air Corps bombed the Mauna Loa volcano in an apparently successful attempt to divert a lava flow that threatened the water supply of Hilo, Hawaii.
