Much to its credit, the International Criminal Court in The Hague has set an important precedent, having laid charges against a jihadist accused of destroying historic properties in a legendary African town on the edge of the Sahara desert. It’s the first time the ICC has addressed the issue of cultural destruction as a war […]
Chinese President Xi Jinping recently visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran. The central object of his trip was to promote the Belt and Road Initiative, which will revive the ancient Silk Road. “Since China and Saudi Arabia forged diplomatic ties 26 years ago, our relationship has developed by leaps and bounds, with mutual political trust […]
Current efforts by the United States and Russia to achieve a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria’s five-year-old civil war hang by a thread. Periodic clashes are still breaking out. Two of the major combatants, Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front, have been excluded from the partial ceasefire and presumably will keep on fighting. The uncertainty […]
Anwar al-Awlaki was a lucky guy, at least until his luck ran out. Born into an elite Muslim family from Yemen, he was a member of the lucky sperm club. His father, Nasser, was a government minister and president of a university. Anwar, his son, was superbly educated and possessed the gift of the gab. […]
Reformers and middle-of-the-road conservatives in Iran have won majorities in parliament and the Assembly of Experts, the body which selects Iran’s supreme leader. But it’s doubtful whether their victories will soften Tehran’s hardline policies, particularly as they relate to Israel. Iranians who back the presidency of Hassan Rouhani — an Iranian-style pragmatist who seeks engagement […]
As Allied armies battered the Wehrmacht on all fronts toward the close of World War II, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler issued an order that all cultural artifacts the Nazis had looted from Jewish collectors, museums and churches should be destroyed. These ran the gamut from paintings and drawings to sculptures and illuminated manuscripts, all worth a […]
Holland, though remarkably small in size, has produced a stunning constellation of great painters from Frans Hals to Vincent van Gogh, both of whom have enriched the canvas of Western civilization. Some of their finest paintings and drawings are found in two museums in Amsterdam, Holland’s major city. The Van Gogh Museum has the distinction […]
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, dedicated to the proposition that Israel’s existence is illegitimate, has achieved a string of successes since its founding eleven years ago. It’s no longer a marginal group in the shadows struggling for recognition. Created by a coalition of non-governmental Palestinian organizations, it draws inspiration and strength from a BDS […]
Thirty six years have elapsed since the release of Michael Apted’s moving biopic, Coal Miner’s Daughter, starring Sissy Spacek as the American country singer Loretta Lynn. Spacek won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Lynn, whose rags-to-riches story evoked high emotion. Nearly four decades on, at the age of 83, Lynn — a member […]
The classic disaster movie, with its thrills and chills, is a perennial Hollywood staple. The Wave, directed by Roar Uthaug, comes to us from an unexpected source — Norway. Scheduled to open in Canada on March 4, it’s based on an actual incident in 1934 during which a Norwegian town was flooded and destroyed by […]