Why a Government Victory in Southwestern Syria Is Bad News for Israel
Squashing the rebellion where it began.
September 17, 2021
How the Field of Middle Eastern Studies Made Itself Irrelevant
Ivory towers, still stuck in the sand.
In his book Ivory Towers on the Sand—which, by coincidence, was published a few weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks—Martin Kramer pointed to the failures of academic experts on the Middle East, arguing that they routinely “disregarded or distorted . . . evidence” that ran contrary to their theories, and “poured scorn on anyone who dared to propose” alternatives. As a result, his name was booed at the plenary session of the Middle East Studies Association. In conversation with Winfield Myers, Kramer discusses the book at a twenty-year remove. To Kramer, little has gotten better within the academy, while the professors have rendered themselves far less relevant beyond its walls. (Video, 31 minutes.)
September 17, 2021
How the Field of Middle Eastern Studies Made Itself Irrelevant
Ivory towers, still stuck in the sand.
Maimonides’ Son’s Long-Forgotten Commentary, and the Quixotic Scholar Who Made It Available
Moshe Maimon combines ḥaredi sensibilities, vast knowledge, and academic rigor.
One Year Later, the Abraham Accords Have Brought an Economic Bonanza to Israel and Its New Gulf Partners
And promise more to come.
A British Writer’s Exploration of Her Jewish Past, Catholic Present—and the Eichmann Trial
Muriel Spark in Jerusalem.