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Monday, August 19, 2019

My MSNBC Commentary on Rashida Tlaib and Israel, and more




My MSNBC Take on Bibi, Rashida, Ilhan, The Donald, and background


Good morning,

I now appear almost every Saturday morning on MSNBC, usually around 6:45 EDT (set your Tivo, Donald Trump). When I am in the States and able to go to 30 Rock, I also appear frequently on David Gura's Sunday show, which runs from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. And of course there's breaking news commentary. I expect there will be a fair amount to talk about with the G7 coming up in Biarritz at the end of the month.

This was my take on the Trump/Bibi/Rashida Tlaib fiasco:

https://christopherdickey.blogspot.com/2019/08/my-msnbc-take-on-winners-and-losers-in.html


The Daily Beast ran several excellent, relevant pieces out of Jerusalem and Washington:
 

BURNING QUESTIONS

Trump and Congress Endanger Israel, Not Omar and Tlaib

PM Netanyahu may bar two members of the House critical of Israel. But a disaster on the horizon was created by Trump and members of Congress who call themselves Israel's friends.

NERI ZILBER

 

BETWEEN THE LINES

Why Did Netanyahu Flip-Flop on Tlaib and Omar?

NOGA TARNOPOLSKY


Published 08.15.19 
Israel has never before denied entry to Members of Congress. Why did Netanyahu mention a racial supremacist political ally when explaining his decision on Tlaib and Omar?

BACKUP SQUAD

Democrats Unite After Bibi Blocks Squad Members

Democrats on the Hill and the campaign trail blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump, while Republicans made themselves scarce.

HANNA TRUDO,

SAM BRODEY

 

BACKFIRE

Israel's Snub of Omar and Tlaib Is a Gift for BDS Movement

Supporters and critics of Israel alike are concerned that raising the profile of BDS will add more fuel to the controversy's fire.

SAM BRODEY



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My MSNBC Take on Winners and Losers in the Bibi, Rashida, Ilhan, and The Donald Flap

My appearance on MSNBC Saturday morning talking about winners and losers in the Rashida Tlaib / Trump / Netanyahu flap:




Wednesday, August 14, 2019

In These Perilous Times of Mass Protest, Can Democracy Triumph? That Goes for America, Too.



A moment of tranquility in Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat

LOOKING BACK AT THE WEEK:
Around the world we have entered a new era of mass protests that represent a huge test for nonviolent movements. In many places they have appeared successful, but in Russia and Hong Kong, I think we can expect to see increasingly violent responses by the threatened regimes.
My latest column asked a question that's been on many minds as we've watched huge and incredibly courageous demonstrations from Hong Kong to Khartoum, Algiers to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Why have we seen so few mass protests against the Trump administration, which is working relentlessly to weaken American democracy? And why did those that took place — some of the biggest in history — prove so ineffectual?

THE PHYSICS OF DISSENT
OPINION
Published 08.11.19 
The formula p=mv might just be the E=mc2 of protest. A new study shows it's not how many turn out for a demonstration that counts, it's also how often.

I had been inspired by this article written by Brendon Hong in Hong Kong ...

ENTER THE DRAGON
Published 08.06.19 
Groups of "front line" protesters have adopted tactics and strategies of their own to express their dissent in ways that resemble guerrilla warfare rather than planned rallies.

... and this research by Erica Chenoweth and Margherita Belgioioso on "The Physics of Dissent":


RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Hong Kong Protesters Capture Infiltrators in Airport Chaos


BRENDON HONG


And this article by Amy Knight:

SILOVIKI

Street Protests Might Make Putin More Dangerous to U.S.


AMY KNIGHT


By coincidence, the day my column appeared organizers in the U.S. announced a huge #WeThePeopleMarch being planned for September 21 in D.C. But even if that is the biggest demonstration in Washington's history, it needs to be followed by more concerted and continuous action if protestors really want to try to bring Trump down, and that is a high-risk proposition.

In the meantime, I am happy to say that David Crosby, who is one of the people on this list, took a look at the related matter of Russian influence on Trump and America and explained it in terms anyone can understand:

OPINION
Published 08.10.19 
The iconic singer-songwriter behind the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash writes about President Trump's curious relationship with Russia—and why he must be defeated in 2020.

This week... White Supremacists, and more

Dear Friends (you few, you happy few),

I was gratified to get so many warm responses to the revived e-mail list. I think this will be a much better way to keep in touch. For those close friends who are not receiving the mails, there is now a "landing page" — here — where you can sign up.


At the suggestion of Rosental Alves (my friend from Central America days, now at UT Austin), I am going to try to pull together a more or less weekly email including whatever it is I am writing, and perhaps a story or two by my colleagues at The Daily Beast, with flashbacks when they seem appropriate. 

And even thought this list is an antidote to social media, do feel free to share these stories all over the place!

So, here goes:

The shootings in El Paso and Dayton over the weekend were powerful reminders of the threat posed by white nationalist terrorism, a subject we have written about extensively at The Beast, and several of our past articles may be of particular interest:

There's this investigative piece of mine from May 2017:

Inside the Head of Dylann Roof, Jihadist for White Hate
Never-before-reported documents about Roof's psychological exams give us a look deep inside the 'logic' of this murderous white supremacist—and terrorists everywhere.

This column of mine from March 2019 (after Christchurch):

It's Time to Attack White Nationalism for the Terror Group It Is
Nobody can claim, as George W. Bush did, that 'we're going to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here,' because they're already 'here' with a vengeance.

And Kelly Weill's terrific, granular reporting from April this year:

America Under Attack by White Supremacists Acting Like ISIS
A widespread digital network is calling for people to carry out more terrorist attacks after Poway and Christchurch.

And from this weekend:

From El Paso to Christchurch, a Racist Lie Is Fueling Terrorist Attacks
By leaving manifestos, white supremacists are trying to add to a long and growing library of terror, and get others to follow their examples.


Also, some background to breaking news elsewhere in the world:

On the the Kashmir Crisis read Matthew Clayfield's epic from early this year:


On the Hong Kong Crisis read the ongoing coverage by Brendon Hong and Gordon G. Chang: https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/hong-kong

And for the multiple Korean crises, check out the coverage by Donald Kirk: 


All the best, Chris

PS - You should be among the first to know. I will be publishing my next book with Random House, due out in 2021. But more about that later.

PPS - In case you missed it, this historical essay about John Steinbeck, Paris, and the CIA has gotten quite a bit of attention: https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-steinbeck-did-nobel-prize-winning-novelist-spy-for-the-cia-in-paris


And finally, my photo of the week: a restaurant revived by the Costes brothers that is now one of my favorite bistros:






Christopher Dickey
World News Editor - The Daily Beast
Contributor - NBC/MSNBC News
Twitter and Instagram @csdickey

Re-activating this list with some of my latest articles ...

Apologies to anyone who has written me on this address lately. I had deactivated this account because I thought social media were enough and I used another address for most of my business, but I realize now I prefer the interaction on this very limited mailing list. 

To get things going again, here are a collections of some of my recent articles:



All the best, Chris

Christopher Dickey
World News Editor - The Daily Beast
Contributor - NBC/MSNBC News
Twitter and Instagram @csdickey