Freeing Alan Gross: First Do No Harm

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Templo Beth-Shalom in Havana, Cuba (Photo credit: Anya Landau French) This post originally appeared at The Havana Note. An earlier version, “In Cuba, a Hostage of International Brinksmanship,” appeared in today’s Jewish Daily Forward, the online home of the weekly Forward.

LIVE STREAM at 12:15 pm: Beyond Arab Poll Results

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Dr. Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland has conducted a really fascinating poll of Arab public opinion, showing persistent support for a two-state solution while at the same time rising acceptance of an Iranian nuclear weapon, among other things.

Peace Talks May Generate New Obama-Netanyahu Showdown

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Despite the flurry of initial applause from groups ranging from AIPAC to J Street to the Israel Project to the American Task Force for Palestine that direct negotiations were resuming between Israel and Palestine, pessimism has been the order of the day since.

Heads Up: Next Generation National Security Leaders

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This is a friendly public service announcement for young (between 25 and 32 years), policy-minded folks interested in national security affairs. The Center for a New American Security is holding its second annual competition for fellows in its Next General National Security Leaders Program.

Pull the Plug on US Commission on International Religious Freedom?

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During the battle over John Bolton’s US Senate confirmation to serve as US Ambassador to the United Nations which resulted in “no vote” and thus his early resignation from a recess-appointed position, I received a lot of sensitive information from incumbent and former staff members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, which at…

MEDIA NOTICE: Steve Clemons on Al Jazeera English at 7 pm

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The big news today is of course the announcement from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have been invited to Washington at the beginning of September to engage in the first direct talks between the two sides in two years.