Category: Other

While walking through a small mangrove plantation site in coastal Odisha, I expected to hear pride stories regarding mangrove plantation success from the nearby village. Numerous species of Avicennia, Exocaria, Rhizophora, Bruguiera, and…

Donald Trump has revealed a consistent pattern of actions throughout the first year of his second term as president of the United States: as a “leader” who prioritizes personal loyalty over constitutional norms. He frames governance as a…

The address of my childhood until I got married was Karlsplatz 3.

When I walked out of the rather grand entrance, through which horse drawn carriages had galloped a mere 120 years ago, and turned left, counting roughly five hundred steps, I…

Senator Jeff Merkley: The Reckless Resolver

The September 12 non-binding resolution authored by the junior senator from Oregon is disconcerting. Senator Merkley’s call for President Trump to recognize a demilitarized Palestinian state…

(Note: This post is Part 1 of the two-part series “Historical and Modern Voices of Reason Against Israel’s Death Penalty Bill.” Please see the subsequent blog post for the second installment.)

The ongoing public debate over Israel’s…

“We Try Harder” is the marketing slogan introduced by Avis Rental Car in 1962.  It was one of the most successful marketing campaigns ever, and was supported by pins such as this made in the various languages of the countries in which…

וַיְבָ֨רְכֵ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַהוּא֮ לֵאמוֹר֒ בְּךָ֗ יְבָרֵ֤ךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יְשִֽׂמְךָ֣ אֱלֹהִ֔ים כְּאֶפְרַ֖יִם…

I am afraid to read Hans Fallada’s Alone in Berlin again. I have read it twice, and each time my anxiety deepens. It does not stem from the violence the novel eventually depicts, but from the quiet permission structure that precedes it….

I lived in New York for 14 years, until about a year ago. I posed for photos with Mayor Bill de Blasio at Chanukah lightings, with Eric Adams when he was a State Senator and Brooklyn Borough President, and I remember Bloomberg’s tenure…

The idea that Turkey should play an active role in stabilizing Gaza is not a bold diplomatic stroke. It is an act of strategic self-deception—one that exposes a dangerous contradiction at the heart of Donald Trump’s Middle East…