Vance’s Attacks on Europe, USAID Cuts, Israel-Palestine Peace, and More
The latest at Inkstick Media.
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Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — not a governmental department and, according to some accounts, not all that efficient — and the Trump administration have pressed forward with an effort to dismantle USAID. Yet, as former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chas W. Freeman, Jr., argues in new commentary, USAID is not the “criminal organization” Musk says it is. In fact, it made the US far safer.
Elsewhere, when Vice President JD Vance turned up at a security conference in Munich last month, he launched into a tirade that accused Europe of suppressing far-right parties, not doing their part on Ukraine, and, of course, leaving its borders open to endless migration. But what Vance failed to mention, as I point out in a new collaborative piece also published by The Border Chronicle, was that when it comes to border violence, Washington and the European Union are already in lockstep.
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“It’s All an Illusion” by Things That Go Boom (March 3)
Gettysburg, where historians say Civil War casualties were highest, attracts many reenactors. They carry their muskets, pull on their blue britches, and revel in the past. But today that hobby has taken on new meaning — survivalists on the left and right and even some pundits have suggested a second US Civil War isn’t quite so unlikely as it might seem.
“It’s Time for a Just and Lasting Peace in Israel and Palestine” by Allison McManus (March 4)
The struggle for the future of Israel and Palestine is at a crossroads: on one path, expanded occupation and annexation, ethnic cleansing, and political violence; on the other, commitment to sovereignty, security, democracy, rights, and justice for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
“Why USAID Made American Foreign Policy Better” by Chas W. Freeman, Jr. (March 5)
Amid a foreign policy apparatus too-often dominated by interventionism and militarism, USAID was the caring face and hands of America abroad. It made foreign friends for the country and helped persuade them to follow Washington’s lead or give it the benefit of the doubt on matters of concern to the United States.
“Undeterred: Border Violence isn’t Stopping Migration” by Patrick Strickland (March 6)
JD Vance’s recent migration comments about the EU might have been targeted at an American audience as much they were a nod and a wink to the hardline fringes of Europe’s far right, sure, but the obvious irony is that when it comes to border policy, much of Europe is already in lockstep with Washington.
“Deep Dive: Is Christian Nationalism Just White Identity Politics?” by Inkstick (March 7)
In the United States, the term Christian nationalism has gained traction in recent years, especially amid right-wing backlash to COVID-19 lockdown policies. In a new paper at the Social Forces journal, Joshua B. Grubbs and Samuel L. Perry argue that Christian nationalism is effectively “the religion of white identity politics.”
From the desk of Patrick Strickland, managing editor of Inkstick Media.