The negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians seem close to breaking down completely. There are some ways the breakdown can be avoided, and one cannot dismiss the idea of a 11th hour revival–one negotiating tactic is to bring the discussions to a breaking point with a last minute “concession.” But these negotiations seem to be more opaque than most. It is impossible to figure out the difference between posturing and genuine positions. In some sense, the negotiations have also been distorted by the mediating role of the US. It seems apparent that both the Israelis and the Palestinians have lost faith in the US.
As the Indian election approaches, most polls are indicating that Narendra Modi, the BJP candidate, is likely to win. It is difficult to determine what Modi’s foreign policy might be, but Ankit Panda has written an essay on how Hindu nationalism might guide Modi’s approach to world affairs. The policy will certainly be different from traditional Indian foreign policy.
Apparently, the US has established a Twitter account to spread stories in Cuba that would undermine the regime. The US and Cuba have been enemies since 1961, and, in that year, the US placed an embargo around Cuba to place economic pressure to topple the Castro regime. Since then, the US has tried to assassinate Castro, invaded Cuba, and isolated Cuba from global interactions. All the policies of the US have failed to change the regime, and this latest attempt to induce political change in Cuba is simply an index of the futility of the policy. Normalized relations between the two states are long overdue.
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