Category: Other

From Recognition to Reality: How States Gain Legitimacy in the International System

Lessons from Israel and Somaliland

The recognition of one state by another is a foundational act in international law and diplomacy. Through recognition, a…

The night of Oct. 7 did not end when the news cycle moved on. It walked into Jewish homes. It sat at kitchen tables and hunted us into our sleep. It showed up in the way parents looked at their children the next morning.

Every Jewish parent I…

As the blizzard blankets New York, I can’t help but think about Purim.

In Torah, water represents chesed — Divine kindness. It flows and nourishes. It gives life and binds elements together.

But snow is water – just frozen. The kindness…

In a recent column in the Forward, Louis Keene wrote about the value Jewish tradition puts on a concept called Ameilut, a rabbinic idea that there is religious value to toiling in Torah — putting effort into Torah study — rather than just…

Four years ago, the world gave Ukraine four days.

Four days before Kyiv would fall.
Four days before the government would collapse.
Four days before the story would dissolve into another tragic headline.

Instead,…

Zelensky has proposed a ceasefire and a direct meeting with Putin, but Russia has balked, demanding a comprehensive accord before committing to a truce.

Putin’s goals have not changed since his unprovoked act of imperialist aggression: Ukraine…

This week, we study the vestments worn by the High Priest as he performed his service in the Temple. The High Priest represents the epitome of holiness; he is the closest a human can be to G‑d. Selected to represent the entire nation in…

President Donald Trump devoted most of his State of the Union address Tuesday night to familiar themes of economic strength and immigration enforcement, but about an hour into the speech he turned to foreign conflicts and…

For Israel, the emergence of the “Peace Council” represents both a new challenge and an opportunity. This concept, operating outside the UN framework, illustrates the rise of ad hoc coalitions and the dilemmas of multilateralism. For…

Remembering your first memory of a specific subject might be challenging, especially when that subject had a daily presence in your life. But even if you can’t recall the first acquaintance, it’s usually not too hard to remember your…