One thing that becomes clear to me when I wander into the world, and the minds, of geopolitical professionals—government people—is how limited and linear their thinking seems to be.

When I do so, an internal distress signal starts beeping and won’t stop, especially when the issue under discussion is war and mass destruction, i.e., suicide by nukes, which has a freshly intense relevance these days as Team Trump plays war with Iran.

What doesn’t matter, apparently, is any awareness that we live in one world, connected at the core: that the problems confronting this planet transcend the fragmentary “interests” of single, sovereign entities, even if the primary interest is survival itself.

At a talk I delivered in Northern England in March 2018, I proposed that the best response to falsified accusations of antisemitism, which are often lobbed against pro-Palestinian communities and intellectuals everywhere, is to draw even closer to the Palestinian narrative.

In fact, my proposal was not meant to be a sentimental response in any way.

“Reclaiming the Palestinian narrative” has been the main theme in most of my public speeches and writings in recent years. All of my books and much of my academic studies and research have largely focused on positioning the Palestinian people - their rights, history, culture, and political aspirations - at the very core of any genuine understanding of the Palestinian struggle against Israeli colonialism and apartheid. 

Wednesday, January 15, 2020, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
In collaboration with OSU Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens, Sustainability at Ohio State, and Great Lakes Brewing Company, we invite you to join us for the first Green Drinks of 2020. We are kicking off the Earth Day Columbus campaign by celebrating volunteerism with many great local nonprofit organizations: 2020 will be a very important year for the environment as Earth Day turns 50. Together we can make a difference in the new year!  Beer, non-alcoholic beverages and light snacks will be provided. Donations of $5 - $10 at the door for working professionals are highly encouraged. All proceeds go towards buying tree seedlings for Earth Day. 1 tree= $1.  Location: Nationwide& Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Columbus 43210.  Free Parking.  Facebook. 

If one seriously seeks to understand how delusional policymakers in Washington are it is only necessary to examine the responses by the president and Congress to the assassination of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani. The first response came in the form of a Donald Trump largely incoherent nine-minute self-applauding speech explaining what he had done and why. It was followed by a House of Representatives War Powers non-binding resolution that was all theater and did nothing to limit the president’s unilateral ability to go to war with the Islamic Republic.