Latest Articles

As Kurds vote for independence, Americans should cheer

September 20, 2017  •  The Boston Globe

IN A LANDMARK referendum next Monday, Iraqi Kurdistan will vote on whether to declare independence. The outcome is not in question. Iraq's Kurds have been largely self-governing for 25 years, but they yearn to be sovereign in a state of their own, just like the region's other great ethnic and linguistic groups — Arabs, Turks, Persians, Jews.

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Above the Arctic Circle, a Cold War Rosh Hashana

September 17, 2017  •  The Boston Globe

IT WAS early September 1956, the High Holidays were approaching, and Elihu Schimmel was in the Cold War's coldest theater.

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Bribes — er, incentives — for Amazon

September 13, 2017  •  The Boston Globe

WHEN AMAZON last week announced plans to build a $5 billion second headquarters in North America, officials from sea to shining sea immediately began to clamor for the privilege of hosting the new facility. Mayors of cities as diverse as Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Toronto declared their intention to vie for Amazon's favor. Newsrooms ordered up stories on the frenzy: "Charlotte wants to be home to Amazon's $5 billion second headquarters." "Minnesota rushes to bid for Amazon's second headquarters." "Virginia plans to be 'aggressive and competitive' to land project."

Naturally, Boston and Massachusetts are getting in on the act.

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A chance for Congress to get its mojo back

September 10, 2017  •  The Boston Globe

WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP last week started a six-month countdown clock to end his predecessor's executive order protecting immigrants who were brought illegally to America when they were children, the denunciations came fast, furious, and fevered. Angry outrage has become the standard reaction to almost everything Trump says and does, often with reason. But on the issue of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, that fury is misplaced. Trump has created an opening that should gladden conservatives and liberals alike — one that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle should exploit.

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America's melting pot and America's Muslims

September 3, 2017  •  The Boston Globe

THE STORY of American pluralism began with the migration of Puritan separatists, who came to the New World seeking a haven where they could practice their faith as they saw fit. The Puritans didn't show much tolerance toward subsequent newcomers practicing other faiths, such as Quakers and Baptists. But those religions put down roots, and the intolerance evaporated over time.

That became the pattern. Though religious diversity is one of the hallmarks of American life, believers from less-familiar traditions typically start out facing resentment and mistrust. After a while, however, those minority creeds and churches grow accepted and comfortable and become part of the nation's religious and cultural mosaic.

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