When the leader of Czechoslovakia's 1989 "Velvet Revolution" and its former president, Vaclav Havel died last month, many eulogies were heard about this playwright and statesman, who was a hopeless romantic and a devoted fan of rock music, and who left an indelible imprint on the history of his nation...

On July 1, 1798, just before disembarking on the shores of Alexandria -- in what is often depicted as the moment when the West, indeed modernity itself, landed in the Middle East -- Napoleon enlightened his troops: "The first city we will encounter was built by Alexander [the Great]. We...

A decade since the failed Camp David summit, the Obama administration should learn its key lesson. Rather than unmasking Netanyahu's true intentions, the administration should transform them. Leveraging popular support for the all-too-familiar peace parameters, a joint Israeli-Palestinian referendum will both encourage leaders to compromise and discourage violent resistance.