Kramer, Martin. “
What Did (and Didn't) Happen in Room 16 of the American Colony Hotel.”
Mosaic Magazine, 2019, December 16.
Web originalAbstractRoom 16 of the American Colony Hotel is reputedly where the Oslo process began, between Israel and the PLO. It isn't, but it was a milepost on the "road not taken," between Israel and the "inside" West Bank leadership personified by Faisal Husseini. A look at the forgotten alternative to Oslo, inspired by the author's own stay in Room 16.
What Did (and Didn't) Happen in Room 16 of the American Colony Hotel (pdf) Kramer, Martin. “
The Balfour Declaration and the Jewish Threat that Made Britain Honor It.”
Mosaic Magazine, 2019, October 31.
Web originalAbstractAn appraisal of the way Zionist leaders, above all Chaim Weizmann, tried to hold Britain to its Balfour Declaration commitment by emphasizing the dangers of mass Jewish migration after the First World War.
The Balfour Declaration and the Jewish Threat that Made Britain Honor It (pdf) Kramer, Martin. “
Seven Black Swans in the Middle East.”
Mosaic Magazine, 2019, September 24.
Web originalAbstractFrom the Yom Kippur War to the Arab Spring, events considered impossible happen in the Middle East with unusual frequency. Here are seven; when will the eighth appear?
Seven Black Swans in the Middle East (pdf) Kramer, Martin.
The King is Dead? Does it Matter?. Washington, DC: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 2019.
Web versionAbstractThe Washington Institute has sponsored a series of discussions about sudden succession in the Middle East. Each session focuses on scenarios that might unfold if a specific ruler or leader departed the scene tomorrow. This essay sets the scene by asking whether a major leader’s departure is necessarily history-changing. Martin Kramer examines past cases of unexpected departures of twentieth-century regional leaders, in Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. He suggests that the impact depends mostly on where the hand of fate interrupts the leader’s career. Paradoxically, the more successful a leader has been in realizing his larger goals, the less consequential his exit.
The King is Dead! Does it Matter? (pdf)
خالفة مفاجئة: دراسة تأثير التغيير المفاجئ في الشرق األوسط (pdf) Kramer, Martin. “
Where MLK Really Stood on Israel and the Palestinians.”
Mosaic Magazine, 2019, March 13.
Web originalAbstractWhy did MLK not condemn Israel’s actions in the twenty years between 1948 and 1968, at a time when Israel stood repeatedly in the dock? And why didn’t he say anything about the Palestinian “plight,” especially as he got a high-level tutorial on the subject during a visit to East Jerusalem in 1959? An exploration of possible influences, from Reinhold Neibuhr to King's own personal experience.
Where MLK Really Stood on Israel and the Palestinians (pdf)