By Laurie Baron
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego State University school year opened with a blatant politicization of an Arabic class. An Arabic instructor handed out a map of the Middle East which omitted Israel and labeled it Palestine. After a protest by an Israel advocacy group, the instructor apologized and penciled in Israel on the map. The chair of the Arabic and Islamic Studies Program explained that the instructor had intended to “reflect the view of Arab speakers in the region.” After hearing about the controversy and its resolution, German instructors recalled their maps of Europe which omitted the Sudetenland, Western Poland, and Alsace-Lorraine; and Chinese instructors recalled their maps of Asia which omitted Taiwan.
John McCain and Lindsey Graham are criticizing how indecisive and weak President Obama’s handling of the Syrian crisis has been. Unlike the “successful” Bush Doctrine which justified preventive wars promoting regime change, Obama’s timidity has resulted in Assad admitting Syria has chemical weapons which will be handed over to an international body that will destroy them. Moreover, it has allowed Russia to reverse its support of Syria and pressure it to comply with divesting itself of its chemical weapons. McCain and Graham are incensed that there will be no failed search for WMD, no limited or protracted war, and no deficit military spending.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has indicated that Russia will gladly confiscate the Syrian arsenal of chemical weapons and dispose of it in Chechnya and Dagestan.
Native American groups are demanding that the Washington Redskins change the team’s offensive name to something less derogatory that reflects the city’s true nature like the Washington Lobbyists, the Washington Gridlocks, or the Washington Bribe Takers.
Iowa and Missouri state legislatures are on the verge of passing laws to nullify federal gun control laws. In response Democrats in Washington are on the verge of nullifying farm subsidies and replacing them with fracking subsidies.
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Baron is professor emeritus of history at San Diego State University. He may be contacted at lawrence.baron@sdjewishworld.com