Carol, Mary, Dick, Craig, Philip and Bill:

Thanks for your comments. I always learn a lot when discussing controversial issues when those involved show a degree of mutual respect.

I take the point made by many of you that the Arab world (and Iran) have been very bad actors. I But I view Israel as truly special. As I mentioned, the Security Council has condemned Israel 29 times for aggressive acts. No other country comes close. And in those votes, the US either voted for the condemnation or abstained (as it just did again).

And it is hard to argue the Security Council is a group controlled by Arab nations. The five permanent members who have veto power are the US, the UK, China, France, and Russia. Are they anti-Israel? The other members are drawn from 5 separate reasons: Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific. There is no reason to think these Security Council members should be anti-Israel without cause.

I often think what if either Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter could have worked out a two-state solution with Israel and the Palestinians. How different the world would be now! It appears from a reading of Bin Laden’s diaries that much of his anger stemmed from hating the US because of how protective it was of Israel. And projecting that to the current time, it is quite likely that a significant amount of today’s terrorism springs from that same anger.

I do think it is important to ask why was the US so protective of the Israel so as to generate so much anger among Arab nations and Iran. And here, I do believe the definitive piece was written by Mearsheimer and Walt, tenured professors at the University of Chicago and Harvard, respectively. They argue, and I believe convincingly, that the Jewish Lobby has been so effective as to get in the way of what US foreign policy should be. In short, they argue the lobby got Congress to be so pro-Israel as to anger other Middle Eastern countries.

Well, we are where we are today. What can be done? I do not believe a two-state solution is achievable with Netanyahu in power. That means much time will have to pass before anything meaningful can be done to remedy the situation. And of course, it is not as if the Palestinians have their act together….

Bill: I was thinking of the past. I do not think that today, Israel is as aggressive as other Middle East nations. Once the US invaded Iraq, the entire ME became destabilized and certainly more aggressive players emerged.

Dick: See my comments above on the UN. You are right peace cannot be forced. But I do not think the UN Security Council vote had anything to do with trying to force peace. It was merely an attempt to get Israel to stop building settlements in lands intended to be part of the Palestinian state.

Carol: I have read your response. Thanks for some corrections. I tried to address some of your points in the body of my comment above.

Helen:

I enjoyed your piece on Chinese millennials. They, along with the millennials of India will be the global economic growth drivers for the next two decades.

It is truly remarkable just how bad Victoria Secrets’ marketing approach was. As you say, The Chinese are extremely brand conscious which gives a company like VS a real head start – but to screw it up as they did – ouch!

I write about wine, and the brand consciousness of the Chinese are remarkable – they will pay thousands for a bottle from the “right” vineyards in the Bordeaux regions of France

Bill: My views might be different than yours. But I draw the line at personal insults such as "Your selective biased view is truly astounding." If we cannot discuss these matters with a degree of mutual respect, the dialogue is pointless.

Bill:

Thanks for your comment.

My view:

The US stands ready to act swiftly if any country tries to take over any part of Israel. And all countries know this so it won't happen.

What stands out in the Middle East are the aggressive actions of Israel.

Israel seized and now holds lands of Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

The International Court of Justice, the UN General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council regards Israel as the "Occupying Power". UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk called Israel's occupation "an affront to international law."

So far, the wall is gone, Hillary will not be persecuted, and there is some truth to global warming. Trump is well on his way to becoming a Democrat!

Readers:

Thanks for your thoughts. Our forefathers built a lot of checks and balances into our Constitution in anticipation of the odd scoundrel getting elected. We will see. I remain optimistic and like Daniel, feel the President-elect deserves an opportunity to serve.

I am concerned about Supreme Court appointments but do believe women will be protected. And on money in politics, it will take a lot more than a few Supreme Court rulings to rein in moneyed interests.

Incidentally a good web site for money in politics, see Open Secrets - http://www.opensecrets.org/

Craig: Your comment reminds me how important it is for the US citizenry to be engaged in foreign policy decisions. The way to accomplish this is to bring back the draft. Then, war would not be a side show. The kids of the rich and powerful going to war would definitely engage their parents. And on the war issue, you might find my latest piece of some interest - www.morssglobalfinance.com/the-worst-us-foreign-policy-blunder-vietnam-or-iraq/

Craig: The American people might know themselves. But unlike Europe, it has remarkably little understanding of foreign affairs. After all, it sat by and let our leaders get us into the Iraq and Vietnam wars.

Gary:

I wonder. The weak sisters (Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain) are having trouble competing directly with Germany as they must do when they all use the same currency. When they had their own currencies, they could weaken to factor in changing levels of productivity. Where would the US be vis-a-vis Japan w/out the dollar having weakened from 360 yen/$ to 120 yen/$ now?

George: In the late '60s, I worked for the IMF. I would regularly stop in Beirut when on a mission to the Middle East or Africa to discuss economic conditions in those regions with finance people there. Hard to believe, but at that time, Beirut was a beautiful city with a very well-educated and sophisticated population.