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Sep 1, 2026, 10:32 AM

The Palestine Project

The Great Palestinian Identity Theft: They can redefine a name. They cannot erase its history. Now comes the reclamation. Image © Ivan Bassov, 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Reclaiming the Name. Reclaiming the Identity. I recently stumbled across something called The Palestine Project. It describes itself simply: “The Palestine Project promotes the Palestinian narrative.” Interesting. So do I. Then I found an article associated with the project titled: ‘Anti-Palestinianism’: Why we should start using...

Jose Lev Alvarez Gomez

Aug 24, 2026, 5:30 AM

Bennett and Liberman Must End the Palestinian Mess

Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman correctly reject diplomatic fantasy, but turning that rejection into hard-nosed architecture requires shattering the West’s favorite delusions. For decades, the archaic Israeli foreign policy establishment chased the mirage of a centralized Palestinian state, creating...

Aug 21, 2026, 1:33 PM

The most important election no one is talking about

View of the United Nations Office in Geneva adorned with flags of various countries, a free non-commercial use download from the website Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/photo/the-allee-des-nations-with-the-flags-of-member-countries-at-united-nations-office-geneva-switzerland-16146279/).

It's easy to forget how the world is counting on the next UN secretary-general; the right person might even save the United Nations from its current decline

Aug 20, 2026, 9:19 AM

Us vs Them, Part III

Living With “Them”: If human beings will always form groups, how can we live together? Image © Ivan Bassov, 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Living With “Them” In Part I, we examined how people create “us” and “them.” In Part II, we followed those boundaries as they became social and political realities—shaping identities, institutions, borders, and ideas about who belongs. But if group boundaries are...

Aug 18, 2026, 9:00 PM

Us vs Them, Part II

When Belonging Becomes a Boundary: How do group boundaries become social and political institutions? Image © Ivan Bassov, 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

When Belonging Becomes a Boundary In Part I, we examined the psychological origins of “us” and “them.” We saw how easily people form groups, how arbitrary an initial boundary can be, and how differences can acquire meaning after that boundary...

Aug 10, 2026, 3:37 PM

Independent Observers? Define ‘Independent’

Calling someone independent doesn’t make them independent; the relevant question is independent from whom? Image © Ivan Bassov, 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

International Is Not a Synonym for Independent Why doesn’t Israel allow independent observers into Gaza? Why does Israel block an independent investigation into October 7? If Israel has nothing to hide, why does it prevent independent scrutiny? I hear variations of this question...

Andrzej Pawluszek

Aug 4, 2026, 5:50 PM

Rwanda’s Gorillas and a Lesson for the UN

In Rwanda, a UN-backed tourism program helps women and young people earn a living, supports conservation and teaches schoolchildren to protect biodiversity. In Gaza, UNRWA faces evidence that members of its workforce were affiliated with Hamas and, in some...

Jul 27, 2026, 8:50 AM

You Cannot Terror-List Half a State

Countries and international bodies that have designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization or entity are shown in red; Iran is highlighted in green. Image © The Account 2, 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

If the IRGC Is Iran, Then Say Iran. If It Isn't, Where Does Iran End and the IRGC Begin? The United Kingdom recently designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a threat to national security under the National Security...

Jul 7, 2026, 10:21 AM

The Overton Window and the Battle for Palestine

“The greatest victories are won not when armies conquer territory, but when words conquer memory.” — Ivan Bassov (א״ב), Writing from the Alef-Bet (א״ב) of Meaning. Image © Ivan Bassov, 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

“The greatest victories are won not when armies conquer territory, but when words conquer memory.” — Ivan Bassov (א״ב), Writing from the Alef-Bet (א״ב) of Meaning How Language and Narrative Turned the Meaning of "Palestine" and "Palestinian" Upside Down Most people think...

Jun 28, 2026, 9:03 AM

The Battle Before the Battle

David vs. Goliath: The Battle Begins. Long before the first blow is struck, the battle is fought in the realm of narrative. Image © Ivan Bassov, 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Before People Debate Borders, They Decide Whose Story They Believe The phrase The Battle Before the Battle is often associated with the biblical account of David and Goliath in I Samuel 17. Whatever one takes from that story, it reminds...

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