Crossing the Crescent

As the tensions and contradictions of Iranian society have been laid bare over the past week, some Western observers have adopted a predictably self-centered view of events, eschewing sober analysis of the protests for ungrounded assertions that do little more than telegraph their own wishes and biases.

Topping the list as always are the neoconservatives, who, apparently not yet hoarse from bellowing → Read More: The Ayatollah’s Innovation

I do not think it is an exaggeration to call the speech groundbreaking.

It is true that the president did not announce any new concrete plans for achieving greater peace. But it is equally true that the language of respect, dignity, and tolerance is an essential precondition to any such peace.

The president’s willingness to recognize that Islam was not born on Sept. → Read More: Obama’s Cairo Speech