The World Is Splitting Into Blocs
ALEXEY DRUZHININ via Getty Images
By Nathan Gardels, Editor-in-chief
It looks more and more like the downing of Malaysian Flight 17 over the Ukraine could be the "Ferdinand moment" that, though it may not be lead in 2014 to a 1914-type world war, is clearly accelerating the splitting up of the post-Cold War world into blocs. (The analogy is to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist that set in motion the chain of events that led to World War I.)
Artyom Lukin writes from Vladivostock that the stiffer sanctions imposed on Russia are pushing it further into a formal alliance with China against the West. Ivan Sukhov writes from Moscow that the sanctions may well end up achieving the dream of hard-line nationalists whose very aim is to "close Russia's window to the West." On this centennial anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, seven Harvard scholars list the lessons of 1914 for today.
From the Middle East, Anav Silverman writes from Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha about how determined farmers are coping with the constant threat of Hamas rockets and cross-border infiltrations through tunnels. Writing from Gaza, Mohammed Suliman let's out a passionate cry for dignity in the "open air prison" in which he lives. Writing from Cairo, Wael Nawara doubts that Hamas' strategy serves the interests of Palestinians.Lord David Owen lays out the terms for what he believes would be a settlement to end the war.
Former Israeli's foreign minister and prominent "liberal Zionist" Shlomo Ben-Ami argues that Israel's greatest threat is not a nuclear Iran, but the growing campaign to undermine Israeli's legitimacy. The first president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, writes from exile outside Paris that "Khameini and Netanyahu" are "two sides of the same coin" for seeking absolute victory over enemies through violence.
James Stravidis, former Supreme Commander of NATO, says it is time to cooperate with Iran to achieve US interests in the Middle East.
In other matters, Maria de los Angeles Torres recalls "Operation Pedro Pan" that once allowed migrant minors to enter the United States. BrasilPost's Octavio Dias writes from Sao Paulo that, for all its woes, the poor are moving up in Brazil. As Argentina is forced to default once again on its debts, Pierpaolo Barbieri writes from Buenos Aires about the bankrupt ideology of Cristina Kirchner's government.
Finally, Nicolas Berggruen analyzes the surprising fact that Germany has the most unequal distribution of wealth in the eurozone.
It looks more and more like the downing of Malaysian Flight 17 over the Ukraine could be the "Ferdinand moment" that, though it may not be lead in 2014 to a 1914-type world war, is clearly accelerating the splitting up of the post-Cold War world into blocs. (The analogy is to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist that set in motion the chain of events that led to World War I.)
Artyom Lukin writes from Vladivostock that the stiffer sanctions imposed on Russia are pushing it further into a formal alliance with China against the West. Ivan Sukhov writes from Moscow that the sanctions may well end up achieving the dream of hard-line nationalists whose very aim is to "close Russia's window to the West." On this centennial anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, seven Harvard scholars list the lessons of 1914 for today.
From the Middle East, Anav Silverman writes from Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha about how determined farmers are coping with the constant threat of Hamas rockets and cross-border infiltrations through tunnels. Writing from Gaza, Mohammed Suliman let's out a passionate cry for dignity in the "open air prison" in which he lives. Writing from Cairo, Wael Nawara doubts that Hamas' strategy serves the interests of Palestinians.Lord David Owen lays out the terms for what he believes would be a settlement to end the war.
Former Israeli's foreign minister and prominent "liberal Zionist" Shlomo Ben-Ami argues that Israel's greatest threat is not a nuclear Iran, but the growing campaign to undermine Israeli's legitimacy. The first president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, writes from exile outside Paris that "Khameini and Netanyahu" are "two sides of the same coin" for seeking absolute victory over enemies through violence.
James Stravidis, former Supreme Commander of NATO, says it is time to cooperate with Iran to achieve US interests in the Middle East.
In other matters, Maria de los Angeles Torres recalls "Operation Pedro Pan" that once allowed migrant minors to enter the United States. BrasilPost's Octavio Dias writes from Sao Paulo that, for all its woes, the poor are moving up in Brazil. As Argentina is forced to default once again on its debts, Pierpaolo Barbieri writes from Buenos Aires about the bankrupt ideology of Cristina Kirchner's government.
Finally, Nicolas Berggruen analyzes the surprising fact that Germany has the most unequal distribution of wealth in the eurozone.
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