Iran deal Archives - Mark Rubin

The Rut of History and Leon Wieseltier

July 30, 2015

An old friend whose devotion to Israel is very, very strong shared The Iran Deal and the Rut of History on Facebook a couple of days ago. The piece is from The Atlantic and was written by Leon Wieseltier. Mr. Wieseltier was the literary critic for The New Republic forever—well, only from 1983 until 2014—and writes now for The Atlantic. His writing has focused often on Jewish and Middle East subjects, and his parents survived the Holocaust.

The piece opens with these words: “The president said many times he’s willing to step out of the rut of history.” Mr. Wieseltier is quoting Ben Rhodes, a White House aide. Three sentences later—not many extra words here—Mr. Wieseltier states his thesis:

Cuba, Iran deal, Leon Wieseltier, Rut of history

The Rest of Everything

Iran and the Deal

July 17, 2015

Mark Rubin

Iran. It’s been an ever-present part of my Boomer life. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi left Iran on February 11, 1979, when I was 21. Fifty-two hostages were taken on November 4, 1979, and released just after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as our 40^th President on January 20, 1981. And on and on the Iran story has gone, leading up to the deal which was announced this week.

I have several thoughts about this deal. I offer only my words, and I will share a bibliography of smart writing when I’m done.

First, bad situations should not go on forever. Rapprochement with China came 27 years after the U.S. and China broke up. Relations with Cuba are developing only

Iran deal

The Rest of Everything

2 Comments

More Thoughts About the Iran Deal

April 4, 2015

Mark Rubin

I’m not finished! The Washington Post’s Friday editorial, Obama’s Iran deal falls far short of his own goals, prompted some additional thoughts.

The editorial takes issue with the Iran nuclear deal because, in 2012, President Obama set certain markers which this deal does not reach. Truth be told, the observations in the editorial are measured, and there should be a debate about the deal. That said, it’s simply silly to complain about the deal because the United States did not get everything it wanted.

A major part of my law practice involves negotiating. Some of it gets pretty mundane, right down to where we’re going for lunch. Then, though, there is stuff that matters, like how much a case

Iran deal, negotiating, President Obama

The Rest of Everything