I have been visiting with friends, celebrating the 4th of July holiday, so I have not been posting–my apologies. During this time, I’ve been trying to sort out the recent upsurge in violence in the Occupied Territories. The immediate source of the violence was the brutal kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers, followed by the murder of a Palestinian youth. Much is not known about the circumstances of these savage acts, but the subsequent violent protests may spiral out of control. The larger context for this violence is the failure of the recent peace negotiations, and the sense that there are no prospects for change in the immediate future. We will have to keep an eye on events in the region for some time to figure out the true depths of the crisis.
Indonesia is in the final stages of its Presidential election, and the race has turned ugly at the end. Joko Widodo, 53, the populist governor of Jakarta, is running against Prabowo Subianto, 62, and the race pits a member of the old guard against a young populist. Mr. Joko has a comfortable lead in the polls so far, but this election is incredibly important to the future of Indonesia.
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