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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. castaneda89_ALFREDO ESTRELLAAFP via Getty Images_amlo sheinbaum ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images

    Can Claudia Sheinbaum Escape AMLO’s Shadow?

    Guillermo Ortiz asks whether Mexico’s new president will govern as a pragmatist or embrace her predecessor’s populism.
  2. op_reedlangen7_Jemal CountessGetty Images for Court Accountability_supreme court Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Court Accountability

    America’s Broken Constitution

    Nicholas Reed Langen

    For America to address the glaring flaws in its constitutional order, it will need to move to a system where judicial decisions are made not by “Democratic judges” or “Republican judges,” but just by judges. No other liberal democracy allows for such a corrosively politicized appointment process.

    sees the country’s politicized Supreme Court as the biggest obstacle to addressing many other problems.
  3. castaneda90_ FEDERICO PARRAAFP via Getty Images_venezuela FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images

    The Cuban Contingent Protecting Maduro

    Jorge G. Castañeda explains why the sham Venezuelan presidential election has not triggered a repeat of the 1958 military coup.
  4. posner26_Jaap ArriensNurPhoto via Getty Images_Google apple Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Is Antitrust Enforcement Broken?

    Though antitrust enforcement has been gaining momentum on both sides of the Atlantic, a handful of private actors still wield extraordinary market power – and thus power over ordinary people’s lives. With some calling for more radical action, and others warning that reining in firms’ market power would be unhelpful and even harmful, we asked PS commentators what needs to be done.

  5. buberl1_ Nicolas EconomouNurPhoto via Getty Images_european commission Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Europe and the Polycrisis

    Thomas Buberl argues that safeguarding the EU’s future demands a fundamental institutional transformation by 2045.
  6. rodrik227_Si WeiVCG via Getty Images_china solar panels Si Wei/VCG via Getty Images

    The Beggar-Thy-Neighbor Test

    Dani Rodrik explains how to steer international economic-policy debates toward what really matters.
  7. velasco152_Getty Images_economic paradign Getty Images

    Who Needs a New Economic Paradigm?

    Andrés Velasco asks what’s behind the ambition, on both the left and right, to promote a transformative vision of the field.
  8. rogoff254_Getty Images_inequality Getty Images

    Is Capitalism Really the Cause of Global Inequality?

    Kenneth Rogoff thinks greater economic openness is key to tackling cross-country disparities and achieving sustainability.
  9. pavlova2_andreswdGetty Images_EUsustainabilitymoney andreswd/Getty Images

    The Key That Unlocks Cleantech Financing in Europe

    Craig Douglas urges EU leaders to borrow against future Emissions Trading System revenues to finance higher investment now.

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