The shutdown of the US government has led a number of observers abroad to wonder about the stability and coherence of the American political system Der Spiegel has some delightful observations about American politics, including its characterization of one of the parties as the “Kamikaze Party.” Needless to say, most of the reviews of the shutdown are highly negative and unflattering.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech to the United Nations in which he warned the international community not to trust the peace overtures of the new Iranian President Rouhani. In his speech, the Prime Minister made a big point of arguing that Iran’s hostility to Israel was based upon a deep-seated antisemitism. Interestingly, Iran has the largest population of Jews in the Middle East outside of Israel. The Jewish community in Iran is a very long-standing part of Persian culture, and although Jews do face official discrimination in some areas, the evidence is strong that they do not face any obstacles in practicing their religion.
The immediate crisis in Italian politics appears to be over, as members of the center-right party of the governing coalition indicate that they will not leave the coalition to show support for Silvio Berlusconi. It was a humiliating defeat for Berlusconi who now faces expulsion from the Italian Senate. But is assures that the current coalition can continue to govern and will survive a vote of no-confidence. Nonetheless, the political and economic situation in Italy remains fragile.
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