Stories by Ira Chernus

A tragic but isolated incident at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi has become a pivotal issue in the election because of the idea that America has a right to own the world and control every place in it.

The old culture wars are quieter these days, but the right still conjures up an endless array of enemies.

These myths create an image of Israel as an insecure nation and shape Washington's policies in the Middle East.

The “realists” and the Israelis were pushing the administration to hold back the forces of change in Egypt.

The rise of J Street has the Jewish right -- people who support Israel's policies, right or wrong -- on the attack.

A U.S. Navy fleet is moving through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, probably aiming to head off the Iranian flotilla headed toward Gaza.

Like vampires, the neocons never die. They constantly revive themselves, going where the vein is richest, eager to feed upon new blood.

The Obama administration says it wants to reduce nuclear weapons, yet it goes along with Israel's evasions, blocking the path to a nuclear-free Middle East.

Obama is in a better position than any president in decades to insist that Israelis agree to an independent Palestinian state. And we need to speak up with him.

Artists protesting the Toronto International Film Festival's commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Tel Aviv are being demonized.

Israel must abandon its myth of unquestionable benevolence if there's to be any hope for peace.

Israel would rather go down fighting than survive with a damaged sense of national pride. What would happen if concessions weren't so symbolic?

Hamas has long endorsed a two-state solution, but when the NY Times reported it, kooky neocon Charles Krauthammer went unhinged.

Obama's speech shows that there's no reason to let the right monopolize the powerful language of traditional American values.

Israelis keep saying they only want security, while they go on electing leaders whose policies make them less secure.

Conservative cultural critics have been lamenting the decline of heroism in America for years. Now Obama is challenging their narrative.

Obama must realize he is an appealing symbol of a traditional patriotism and that symbols can connect with Americans who are full of hope.

The Petraeus hearings trapped Democrats into talking about whether the 'surge' is working, not that the U.S. has no right to be there.

Republicans may have already found a way to control the terms of the fall debate.