The normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is looking increasingly likely, even if it does not take place in the immediate future. For Israel, normalizing relations with as many Arab states as possible — especially if it does not have to give up much in exchange — has always been a strategic goal. For the new Saudi Arabia and the full implementation of its Vision 2030, those ambitious goals strongly suggest opening up to the Israeli economy.  These two powers have grown increasingly independent and if normalization will happen, it will be driven by their strategic choices and…

n the spring of 1814, 25 years after the ratification of America’s Constitution, a group of 112 Norwegian men—civil servants, lawyers, military officials, business leaders, theologians, and even a sailor—gathered in Eidsvoll, a rural village 40 miles north of Oslo. For five weeks, while meeting at the manor home of the businessman Carsten Anker, the men debated and drafted what is today the world’s second-oldest written constitution.   Like America’s Founders, Norway’s independence leaders were in a precarious situation. Norway had been part of Denmark for more than 400 years, but after Denmark’s defeat in the Napoleonic Wars, the victorious powers,…

We offer a host of resources for 9/11 family members. Our registries for survivors and witnesses,rescue and recovery workers, and artistsprovide dynamic opportunities to maintain a connection. For news from the Memorial and Museum, and for more information about how to get involved, follow our MEMO blog. The heart of the mission of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum remains the annual commemoration ceremony. Family members of 9/11 victims will once again gather on the Memorial plaza to read aloud the names of those killed in the 9/11 attacks and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum leads the nation, and…

Over the past two late summer weeks we’ve looked back at past American military disasters, so time now to bring you up to date on the continuing madness in Ukraine. Let’s start with the fallout from the death last month of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group. The mercenary made a fortune renting out his forces as guns for hire, largely in Central Africa, and the group took enormous losses in brutal and successful house-to-house combat earlier this year in the city of Bakhmut against an equally courageous Ukraine army.  Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged in late June that the…

Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican presidential candidate in 2024, has surprised many — at least so far — with his candidacy. The 38-year-old multimillionaire entrepreneur continues to make national headlines and has made some curious statements. Ramaswamy, for example, said that if he became president he would consider pardoning Biden’s family members. It’s a little puzzling. On Thursday, Ramaswamy said that he would pardon Julian Assange on his first official day. Ramaswamy’s logic is also utterly bizarre. On Jan. 20, 2025, I will pardon Julian Assange. It’s shameful that Obama commuted Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence, the fashionable transgender federal employee who…