Norman A. Bailey

The weakness of the government in Jordan could lead to very difficult situations for Israel. One of the many reasons the upcoming election in Israel is so important is a factor that has been largely overlooked–increasing instability in Jordan. Read more at Globes

Pressing foreign policy matters mean Israel needs a strong, stable government after the election. Well, Israelis will be going to the polling places yet again in a couple of weeks. There is a tendency to emphasize the importance of the election for domestic reasons: Yes Bibi no Bibi; are the Haredim part of the Israeli…

Since the end of the Cold War, liberal capitalism has spread worldwide without any significant ideological rivalry, characterized by the frenetic search for an ever-increasing return on capital and constantly-increasing profits, a generalized un-concern for the moral values of liberalism, and for social inequalities and human misery. The book, Servants of the Devil: The Facilitators of…

Assuming President Biden demonstrates the fortitude to hold off the extremists in his party, he is not a bad prospect, for the US, for the world, and for Israel. Trump is in Florida, his new state of residence, licking his largely self-inflicted wounds. Joe Biden of Delaware is president of the United States, or perhaps…

The new U.S. president will have his hands full abroad, and even more so at home. How Israel fits in is an open question. The first week of 2021 foreshadowed serious problems for the U.S. during the rest of the new year. On January 20th, Joe Biden will become president of the U.S., and, due…

The Western-oriented alliance has largely improved its position in 2020; avoiding war with Iran will be the main challenge of 2021. Ever since the final collapse of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, the Middle East has become increasingly complex from the geopolitical standpoint, until very recently. It is still the playground of internal…

At some point between the evening of November 3 and days or even weeks after, Donald Trump or Joe Biden will be declared president-elect of the United States. This may come after an extended period of uncertainty, charges, counter-charges, lawsuits, demonstrations, and/or rioting. One or more states may be awarded to Trump or Biden by the…

Israel needs to confront Turkish neo-imperialism, but is economically and politically hamstrung. Among its many other insidious effects, the coronavirus crisis is complicating various aspects of Israeli foreign relations. Prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, the Israeli economy was in excellent shape, with good GNP and export growth, low unemployment, low inflation, and healthy…

As the Jewish New Year gets under way, it’s time to assess whether things will get any better in coming months As the Jewish New Year begins, we should look backward and forward in time to decide what is good, what is bad, and what is ugly. Looking backward, the last category is easy. This past…

Two distinct blocs are being formed, innately hostile to each other and with the potential at any time to break out into armed action.  After the dramatic announcement of the intention on the part of the United Arab Emirates to normalize relations with Israel, which has given rise to extensive and mostly positive commentary in…