Skip to content
In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

Critical appraisals of foreign affairs and politics from a global-citizen perspective

Search
  • A philanthropist makes a grand pledge for conservation
  • Making China a U.S. enemy is counterproductive
  • BLOG ARCHIVE
  • Canada’s PM Sets an Independent Course
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG ARCHIVE
  • FEATURED BLOGS
  • Recent Publications

FEATURED

8Jun 20268 Jun 2026
Add a comment

Post #511: Lebanon, Netanyahu’s Nightmare and Opportunity

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chances of reelection hinge on carrying on the war Hezbollah and keeping the fires burning…

Share this with friends and colleagues:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
Like Loading...
3Jun 2026
Add a comment

Post #510: Defeats in the Middle East, One Place at a Time

President Donald Trump hates to lose, but he is on a losing streak in the Middle East—not just in Iran,…

Share this with friends and colleagues:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
Like Loading...
28May 2026
Add a comment

Post #508: This Reported End-of-War Agreement Shows Its Pointlessness

We’ve seen this movie several times already: Trump issues threats, Iran refuses to kneel, negotiators rush to Qatar, Trump or…

Share this with friends and colleagues:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
Like Loading...
BLOG

Post #444: The Collapse of Syria’s Dictatorship

9 Dec 2024
The Regime’s End They’re celebrating in the streets in Damascus. In a collapse as stunning and swift as that of the Soviet Union, the twenty-four years of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship…
BLOG

Post #443: Trump and China–The Rocky Road Ahead

22 Nov 2024
Cooperation or Competition? On November 7, 2024, Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to President-elect Trump that said: “A stable, healthy, sustainably developing China-US relationship fits with the common interests…
BLOG

Post #442: Donald Trump’s Tariff Fantasies

15 Nov 202415 Nov 2024
Tariff Man             Donald Trump thinks the world of tariffs. “Tariffs are the greatest thing ever invented,” Trump said in September at a town hall event in Michigan. On another…
BLOG

Post #441: The Nightmare Returns

6 Nov 2024
Fascism in Charge             In his novel The Plot Against America, Philip Roth depicts the rise to the presidency in the late 1930s of Charles Lindbergh, the pilot who made…
APB

APB: The Atlantic’s Endorsement of Kamala Harris

29 Oct 2024
The Atlantic’s endorsement was published on October 10, 2024. For the third time in eight years, Americans have to decide whether they want Donald Trump to be their president. No…
Uncategorized

APB: An Open Letter to Vice President Kamala Harris on US Middle East Policy

26 Oct 2024
Dear Madam Vice President:             In a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month, Donald Trump said: “Do what you have to do,” according to six people familiar with…
BLOG

Post #440: Give Peace a Chance? No Way

22 Oct 202422 Oct 2024
Three Developments That Might Lead to Talks             Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented a week or so ago: “We will do to Lebanon what we did to Gaza.” That…
BLOG

Post #439: Peak China

8 Oct 2024
Signs of Peaking China’s economy has probably peaked in size and performance. The era of investment and credit expansion seems to be over. As Bloomberg recently reported, factory output has…
BLOG

Post #438: On the Brink in the Middle East

26 Sep 20241 Nov 2024
Signaling an Invasion Israel’s planting of explosive material in pagers and walkie-talkies could be the forerunner to an invasion of southern Lebanon. Defense minister Yoav Gallant implied as much when…
BLOG

Post #437: The Republicans’ “China Week”

16 Sep 20241 Nov 2024
Targeting China             “China Week” sounds like a time for celebrating Chinese culture and food. But for Republicans in the House of Representatives, it’s all about politics. They seem to…
BLOG

Post #436: Cease-fire Agreements in the Middle East Seem More Remote than Ever

1 Sep 20241 Nov 2024
“Blood on His Hands”             “After close to a year of neglect, Netanyahu doesn’t miss a single opportunity to ensure that there won’t be a deal. Not a day goes…
BLOG

Post #435: China Views the US Election

26 Aug 20241 Nov 2024
China’s Analytical Challenges             China’s America watchers have the same tough job that faces Donald Trump’s campaign: coming up with a new game plan after Joe Biden passed the torch…

Posts navigation

Older posts
Newer posts

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Recommended

  • Dali Yang reviews Minxin Pei’s book on endemic corruption in China
  • “1984” in Xinjiang, China
  • Career US Foreign Service officer and China expert offers advice on US-China relations
  • Who profits from nuclear weapons?
  • World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: Second Notice
  • UN Special Rapporteur’s report on extreme poverty in America
  • A former nuclear regulator now wants to ban N-power
  • 900 Former Prosecutors Say Trump Guilty of Obstruction of Justice
  • Open Letter: China is not the enemy
  • The Dangerous Anti-China Consensus in the US
  • A patriotic ambassador tells the truth about Ukraine
  • US House Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Report
  • A Song for the Times
  • Making China a US Enemy is Counterproductive
  • Putting America back together
  • Goodbye, Donald Trump
  • Democracy scholars’ warning
  • All the King’s (DJT) Lawsuits
  • Rep. Liz Cheney’s Opening Statement at Jan. 6 Committee Hearing
  • Rep. Bennie Thompson’s Opening Statement at Jan. 6 Committee Hearing
  • Is Criticism of Israel Anti-Semitism?
  • Democracy Scholars Warning
  • Timothy Snyder on Tyranny
  • Trump vs. US: Sotomayor’s Dissent
  • 50 Legal Experts Shocked about Trump Lawlessness
  • Ai Weiwei’s “Camouflage” Exhibit in NYC

Recent Comments

Mark Selden's avatarMark Selden on Post #509: The Crimes of the T…
Mark Selden's avatarMark Selden on Post #507: The Trump-Xi Summit…
Unknown's avatarCuba’s Fate Should N… on Post #219: Is China a “Respons…
larrykirsch's avatarlarrykirsch on Post #505: Cuba’s Fate S…
Mark Selden's avatarMark Selden on Post #505: Cuba’s Fate S…

Search Posts

Archives

Follow me on Facebook

Follow me on Facebook

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 741 other subscribers

Follow by RSS

RSS Feed RSS - Posts

RSS Feed RSS - Comments

Search Posts

Recent Posts

  • Post #511: Lebanon, Netanyahu’s Nightmare and Opportunity
  • Post #510: Defeats in the Middle East, One Place at a Time
  • Post #509: The Crimes of the Trump Regime
  • Post #508: This Reported End-of-War Agreement Shows Its Pointlessness
  • Post #507: The Trump-Xi Summit and the New World Order

Recent Comments

Mark Selden's avatarMark Selden on Post #509: The Crimes of the T…
Mark Selden's avatarMark Selden on Post #507: The Trump-Xi Summit…
Unknown's avatarCuba’s Fate Should N… on Post #219: Is China a “Respons…
larrykirsch's avatarlarrykirsch on Post #505: Cuba’s Fate S…
Mark Selden's avatarMark Selden on Post #505: Cuba’s Fate S…

Archives

Meta

  • Create account
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Listen to my "Global Citizen" commentaries every Tuesday, 5:25 pm, on KBOO.fm (Portland area) and Wednesdays on KXCR.net (Florence, OR area). The Global Citizen International Digest of the week's news is on KBOO Thursdays at 5:30 pm and is also on SUBSTACK, free, via https://melgurtov.substack.com

  • A philanthropist makes a grand pledge for conservation
  • Making China a U.S. enemy is counterproductive
  • BLOG ARCHIVE
  • Canada’s PM Sets an Independent Course
Website Powered by WordPress.com.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • In the Human Interest - Mel Gurtov
      • Join 480 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • In the Human Interest - Mel Gurtov
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar

Loading Comments...

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d