When Germany’s Foremost Liberal Scholar Turned against the Jews

Jan. 22 2025

Almost a century before Górnicki wrote his memorandum, a similar dispute was going on in a neighboring country. In The Berlin Anti-Semitism Controversy, Frederick Beiser examines attacks on Jews in highbrow German publications of the 1870s and 1880s, which paralleled more vulgar efforts to harness prejudice by pamphleteers and agitators. Allan Arkush writes in his review:

The key figure was Heinrich von Treitschke, who was a leading nationalist historian, editor of the important Historische Zeitschrift, and a prominent legislator. He was widely known as “the herald of the Reich,” of a unified Germany, and he had had nothing to do with the anti-Semitic movement during the years that it began to take shape. But in November 1879, he published an article surveying current events that concluded with a few pages on the recent rise of anti-Semitism.

Treitschke deplored the “dirt and brutality” in anti-Semitic activities. But he quickly acknowledged that the stir they were creating showed that “the instinct of the masses has in fact correctly recognized a grave danger, a very considerable fault of the new German life.”

How could a lifelong liberal veer so far in such an illiberal direction?

Beiser sizes up Treitschke’s outlook objectively, not sympathetically, but it is still startling to see how he takes for granted the basic accuracy of the German historian’s depiction of all too many of his Jewish fellow citizens in 1879 as members of a culturally alien nation within a nation.

Read more at Jewish Review of Books

More about: Academia, Anti-Semitism, Germany

Kuwait Should Be the Next Country to Make Peace with Israel

Feb. 13 2025

Like his predecessor, Donald Trump seeks to expand the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia. But there are other Arab nations that might consider taking such a step. Ahmad Charai points to Kuwait—home to the Middle East’s largest U.S. army base and desperately in need of economic reform—as a good candidate. Kuwaitis haven’t forgiven Palestinians for supporting Saddam Hussein during his 1990 invasion, but their country has been more rhetorically hostile to Israel than its Gulf neighbors:

The Abraham Accords have reshaped Middle Eastern diplomacy. . . . Kuwait, however, remains hesitant due to internal political resistance. While full normalization may not be immediately feasible, the United States should encourage Kuwait to take gradual steps toward engagement, emphasizing how participation in regional cooperation does not equate to abandoning its historical positions.

Kuwait could use its influence to push for peace in the Middle East through diplomatic channels opened by engagement rather than isolation. The economic benefits of joining the broader framework of the Abraham Accords are overwhelming. Israel’s leadership in technology, agriculture, and water management presents valuable opportunities for Kuwait to enhance its infrastructure. Trade and investment flows would diversify the economy, providing new markets and business partnerships.

Kuwaiti youth, who are increasingly looking for opportunities beyond the public sector, could benefit from collaboration with advanced industries, fostering job creation and entrepreneurial growth. The UAE and Bahrain have already demonstrated how normalization with Israel can drive economic expansion while maintaining their respective geopolitical identities.

Read more at Jerusalem Strategic Tribune

More about: Abraham Accords, Kuwait