The world has enormous capacity to produce food to deal with the current food crisis. But this potential has been held back by agricultural protectionism in developed economies and, more recently, by export restrictions imposed by some less developed countries. Contrary to what is often heard, today's crisis cannot be explained by higher demand for food in emerging countries or by speculation. In addition to natural catastrophes such as the Australian drought that has slightly reduced world production recently, ill-advised government policies are largely to blame.
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As many of us join to celebrate Israel’s 60th Anniversary, my thoughts turned to the subject of her Arab minority. Along with most of my fellow Jews I rejoice in the many achievements of Israel’s sixty years, including her: welcome of successive waves of oppressed Jewish immigrants, vigorous democracy, cultural triumphs including Israel conductors at the helm of the world’s great orchestras and novelists translated into the world’s major languages, and her scientific and technological achievements. One could go on and on with these successes but this anniversary should also be a time for reflection.
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The different cultural aspects of the “People” of America are a fascinating treasure trove of enigmas and disclosures. As a product of the dominant American culture, I found “Understanding Race” , a video on the various ethnic minorities that now reside in the United States, extremely informative. Yet, as I watched the different cultural groups, I was conscious of my own culturally conditioned reactions to various aspects of the presentation, While watching this video, I kept asking myself: Who, exactly, make up “We, the People”?
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Jerusalem - Judging by its behavior, Iran’s leadership is in a panic. It has good reason to be. Over a month has passed since Israel successfully attacked an alleged Syrian nuclear installation, proving that the Russian built anti-aircraft defenses, which Iran too has bought, are vulnerable.
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There is a controversy raging among American Jews which may get even hotter in the coming days. The issue arises because the U.S. Congress will once again be asked to vote for a bill recognizing the Armenian genocide of 1915. One might think that this would not be a difficult issue for the Jewish community but unfortunately several of the major Jewish organizations in the United States have seen fit to intervene against the bill.
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Credit : Louise Labissonnière. In reaction to Victor Teboul’s article “New Approaches to Tolerance” I wish to share with your readers my own experience of my Canadian identity.
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