Don't you hear Jerusalem moan?

In following news from a region other than your own, it is helpful to have some background, so you don't misinterpret what you hear and read. I am finding Tom Friedman's From Beirut to Jerusalem very helpful in this regard. Yes, the book is somewhat out of date, as it was published in the late 80s and updated in the early 90s. Keeping that in mind, it is helpful in understanding how fractured the Lebanese society is and how conflicted the Israeli society. I liked his model of Israel's desire to be Jewish, democratic and Biblically whole. It can't really be all three, so it has to choose. Friedman says that Israeli politicians tend to avoid this choice, as it is so hard to make. He also paints a bleak picture of Lebanese factions manipulating American policy makers into intervening at great cost. The Americans understood little and left. Sound familiar?

Friedman gets flack for his cutesy models (Hama Rules and so on) but they are helpful. Yes he simplified but he clarifies as well. He provides tools for looking at what regional actors do and how they think. Are they perfect? No, but they are not overly dissimilar to what you read in academic journals. They just have cutesy names. The same goes for the Lexus and the Olive Tree.