An Iraqi-born Jew, Elie Kedourie (1926-1992) left his native Baghdad to study at the London School of Economics, where he went on to serve as one of the leading scholars of the modern Middle East. From his doctoral dissertation onward, he was a fierce critic of the regnant Middle East studies establishment that deeply influenced British (and American) foreign policy after World War II, and continues to do so today. Michael Doran discusses Kedourie’s intellectual legacy and in particular his 1970 essay, “The Chatham House Version.” The title refers to the view of the Middle East proffered by the British counterpart to the Council on Foreign Relations—a view based on a flawed faith in a chimerical Arab nationalism and a tendency to blame Western imperialism for Arab pathologies. (Interview by Eric Cohen; audio, 48 minutes.)

The Biden administration’s apparent abandonment of Israel is matched by the White House’s feckless handling of rising anti-Semitism. Seth Mandel explains:

On Thursday, May 2, Biden made public remarks condemning the campus pro-Hamas protests. The very next day, major Jewish groups pulled out of a White House meeting on anti-Semitism with [the domestic policy adviser Neera] Tanden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. The reason? Jewish activists who have spent their careers opposing Israel, attacking the Jewish community, and now supporting the very anti-Semitic demonstrations [the meeting was called to address] were added to the meeting after the mainstream groups had already accepted.

When Joe Biden speaks about anti-Semitism, he usually says the right words. But in charge of his deeds, he has put political incompetents manifestly unqualified for this responsibility. He should fix that immediately, because his speeches won’t much matter without a way to implement the ideas animating them.