Global Eyes

Everything you need to know about the world. And a bit more.

Image by Ian Lindsay from Pixabay

Claire—Oy, gevalt! Israel managed to screw up our editorial calendar again.

As our readers requested, I put together a wholly dispassionate, unemotional guide to the proposed Israeli judicial reforms. From the comments, I also concluded that you’d find it helpful to have a guide to the personalities and parties involved. But because I’m not Israeli and it’s not really my area of expertise, I asked an Israeli friend to read what I’d written. He wrote back to say, “There are mistakes in this.” Then, helpfully, he went offline for Shabbat.

I don’t know whether the mistakes were typos or something catastrophic. So I guess I’ll just have to wait. Thus today we’ll have Global Eyes—and we’ll return to Israeli judicial reform after the sabbath.

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A thank you

To the kind reader, and you know who you are, who recently donated a subscription. You’ll be pleased to know it has gone to a lovely and worthy young Singaporean student. She says:

Please pass on my dear thanks. It’s not easy for students to access works like this, which are often more insightful than just reading traditional newspapers and perhaps free blogs. It will go a long way in opening my mind and horizons!!! I hope to pass on the gift to other students too when I’m older. 

Donating a subscription is a very wonderful thing to do. And someone worthy always wants one, so don’t hesitate:

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Ukraine and Russia

Domestic politics encourage continued war of attrition in Ukraine in 2023:

If the war of attrition continues into 2024 (and recent polls indicate that not only analysts but many ordinary citizens in Ukraine and Russia believe it will), then presidential elections in both countries in March of next year will only bolster their leaders’ aversion to negotiations. Zelensky has committed himself to total victory. Ukrainian polls show overwhelming popular support for liberating all the land lost to Russia, beginning with Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. The Ukrainian leader cannot trade land for peace and hope to survive politically. Nor can he easily postpone the election by prolonging the state of martial law now in effect across the country, which prohibits elections. As tempting as that might be, a continuing commitment to democracy is essential to maintaining critical Western support. Under the circumstances, Zelensky’s only choice is to fight on.