James M. Wall
Divestment: Corporate actions
For most media in Israel, American Protestants are simply the people who book Bible tours of the region. In June 2004 this indifference changed....
Tiger mothers: Holding the president accountable
Despite a growing protest movement against the Iraq war, President Bush remains determined to “stay the course.” He offers sympathy to grieving parents, but his attention seems to be elsewhere....
Dance of deception: Blaming the Muslim world
Among the messages of sympathy that poured into London following the July 7 bombings were condolences from the governments of Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iran, Turkey—all nations with majo...
Seeing through illusion: Needed: graduates with critical minds
I am an avid reader of graduation speeches. A graduation speaker must convey an idea under difficult conditions and in a short time—an almost impossible challenge....
Double vision: Missing in the Newsweek fuss: historical perspective
When photographs of Saddam Hussein in his underwear were printed in the New York Post and the London Sun, President Bush told the Associated Press: “I don’t think a photo inspires mur...
A new Powell doctrine: A preference for words over military force
In the film The Interpreter, Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) tells Secret Service agent Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) that she works as an interpreter at the United Nations because she prefers word...
Jerusalem sprawl: West Bank settlement policy
It was appropriate that the final U.S. blessing for the city of Ma’aleh Adumim was delivered to the Israeli government by Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams....
Israel's nonsacrifice: Land grab
When historians look back on the current false peace between Israel and the Palestinians to determine what ended the Palestinian dream of a viable state, they’ll find answers in a February 24 Ne...
The red and the blue: Revealing information
Columnists have the luxury of saying what mainstream media often ignore or brush aside....
Ten best films of '04: Hotel Rwanda tops the list
Paul Rusesabagina, a member of the Hutu majority tribe in Rwanda, is married to a member of the Tutsi, the minority tribe that colonial powers installed as the nation’s rulers in an interference ta...
After Arafat: Down this road before
On January 9, 2005, the Palestinians will elect a new leader. Is there any reason to believe that this will lead to a positive result for the Palestinians?...
No room for nuance: Looking ahead to 2008
When I ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress a few decades ago, I was an unknown Democrat trying to unseat a Republican....
Media malfunctions: We are co-conspirators in culture's corruption
CBS television has had a bad year....
Moviegoing: Report from the Montreal World Film Festival
Veteran Italian director Ettore Scola begins his latest film, Gente di Roma (People of Rome), by following an older couple going through their morning routine—she preparing food, he dressing...
Sensitivity training: Lessons from Senator Paul Simon
Former Illinois Senator Paul Simon, who died last December, was the son of a Lutheran missionary and an avowed liberal Democrat....
Inside the control room: A roar of affirmation for civil liberties
In Control Room, a film on the Arab language television satellite network al-Jazeera, interviewer Abdullah Schleifer presses U.S....
Drawing lines: John Kerry and Israel
On July 28, delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Boston will nominate John Kerry as their candidate for president. They will also approve the party’s national platform....
Friends like these: Friendship can mislead us
When the New York Times admitted that its reporting on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction came from unsupported allegations, it did so not on page one, where all the dire predictions about W...
Abuse at Abu Ghraib: Not aberrant but systemic
Both the International Red Cross and Amnesty International knew about the horrors of Abu Ghraib....