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Curated by Project Syndicate

Shlomo Avineri (1933-2023)

32 commentaries

A professor of political science at Hebrew University and the author of indispensable books on Hegel, Marx, and the intellectual history of Zionism, Shlomo Avineri was equally at home in the world of practical policymaking, serving in the 1970s as Director-General of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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  1. The Two Faces of Pharaoh
    avineri42_Sean GallupGetty Images_hosnimubarakegypt Sean Gallup/Getty Images

    The Two Faces of Pharaoh

    Feb 26, 2020 Shlomo Avineri reflects on the life and rule of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak on the occasion of his death.

  2. The Roots of Right-Wing Dominance in Israel
    avineri53_RONEN ZVULUNAFPGetty Images_netanyahu Ronen Zvulun/AFP/Getty Images

    The Roots of Right-Wing Dominance in Israel

    Apr 15, 2019 Shlomo Avineri points to several structural factors, not least the cumulative impact of profound demographic change.

  3. Saudi Arabia’s Perilous Pivot
    A Saudi woman drives her car REEM BAESHEN/AFP/Getty Images

    Saudi Arabia’s Perilous Pivot

    Apr 3, 2018 Shlomo Avineri thinks the crown prince's hardnosed approach to politics could jeopardize his reform agenda.

  4. Like the Palestinians, the Kurds Deserve a State
    A man holds a Kurdistan's flags as he takes part in a demonstration John Thys/Getty Images

    Like the Palestinians, the Kurds Deserve a State

    Oct 26, 2017 Shlomo Avineri thinks arguments in favor of Palestinian statehood apply equally to an independent Kurdistan.

  5. Trump in Jerusalem
    trump jerusalem Ronen Zvulun/AFP/Getty Images

    Trump in Jerusalem

    May 30, 2017 Shlomo Avineri thinks the US president will end up disappointing Israel's right and left alike.

  6. Poland’s Crime Against History
    avineri49_Gali Tibbon_Stringer_Getty Images_holocaust memorial Gali Tibbon/Stringer

    Poland’s Crime Against History

    Sep 7, 2016 Shlomo Avineri is appalled at a proposed law that would prohibit references to Poles' role in the Holocaust.

  1. velasco150_PAUL ELLISAFP via Getty Images_voting PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images

    In Praise of First-Past-the-Post

    Andrés Velasco explains why Britain’s electoral system is better than all the plausible alternatives.
  2. slaughter105_JACK GUEZAFP via Getty Images_womenwagepeace Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

    Peacebuilding in the Middle East Requires Women

    Anne-Marie Slaughter & Xanthe Scharff argue that negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians must no longer be the province of men.
  3. varoufakis117_JULIEN DE ROSAAFP via Getty Images_macron JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

    Macron and Europe’s Centrists Are Out of Good Options

    Yanis Varoufakis shows that an intractable economic conundrum lies behind the current impasse in French politics.
  4. quesada3_ Lokman Vural ElibolAnadolu via Getty Images_immigration Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Immigration Does Not Start at the US Border

    Carlos Alvarado-Quesada laments the failure of Republicans and Democrats alike to address the root causes of migration.
  5. landau4_Getty Images_AI money Getty Images/Anton Petrus

    Will AI Kill Off Money?

    Jean-Pierre Landau considers some of the underappreciated implications of an economy run entirely by machines.
  6. op_krauze1_Fine Art ImagesHeritage ImagesGetty Images_spinoza Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

    A Philosopher for Our Times

    Enrique Krauze shows that, given rising illiberalism, the seventeenth-century thinker Baruch Spinoza is as relevant as ever.
  7. snower8_Getty Images Getty Images

    A New Worldview for Troubled Times

    Dennis J. Snower proposes four principles to guide policymaking and global negotiations in the age of climate change.
  8. moyo29_Carl CourtGetty Images_FTSE Carl Court/Getty Images

    Navigating Today’s Frothy Financial Markets

    Dambisa Moyo offers a basic framework for assessing the risk of new bubbles and their potential spillover effects.
  9. asadullah16_ MUNIR UZ ZAMANAFP via Getty Images_bangladesh MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images

    An Arab Spring for Bangladesh?

    M. Niaz Asadullah argues that young protestors could help the country chart a democratic course and achieve sustainable growth.

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