Beyond Labels

A 360° Discussion of Foreign, National and Local Policy Issues

Possible topic for 13 May

May 11, 2024
1 Comment

Here’s a link (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/09/opinion/president-bidens-biggest-blunder.html?smid=url-share) to a column by Bret Stephens in the 9 May edition of The New York Times, arguing that Biden was wrong, for many reasons, to pause delivery to Israel of some large bombs and, possibly, other weapons in order to persuade the Netanyahu government not to invade Rafah. And here’s a link (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/10/opinion/bidens-real-mistake-in-pausing-military-aid-to-israel.html?searchResultPosition=4) to a column by Tom Friedman in the 10 May edition of The Times, arguing that Biden made the right decision but taking issue with the way he announced it.

Was Biden right to “pause” (whatever that means) delivery of those bombs to try to encourage Israel not to “invade” (whatever that means) Rafah? How long should the “pause” last? If Israel decides to “invade” Rafah while the “pause” is in effect, what should the US government do then? Is Biden’s decision likely to trigger a wider war, involving Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran? Does Biden’s decision affect the role the US could play in future with respect to negotiating a pause in the war, a prisoner-hostage swap, a cease fire, how Gaza and the West Bank will be governed after the fighting ends, and whether and how Palestinian statehood might be achieved? How might Biden’s decision affect domestic politics in Israel or the US?

Presidential Immunity

May 5, 2024
0 Comments

We agreed to discuss Trump’s claim of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution on Monday, May 6.

  • Should POTUS be immune from criminal prosecution for:
    • all acts taken during the time they are president? (As I think Trump’s attorneys are arguing.)
    • all acts reasonably connected to the scope of their official duties?
    • all acts which only they can take (such as vetoing legislation or making appointments to certain Executive Branch positions–“core” responsibilities)?
    • only those acts in which the underlying criminal statute expressly exempts the president?
    • no acts?

Although there have been lots of op/eds written on the subject, I think the best starting point for research would be arguments made in Trump’s case before the Supreme Court.

  • For the “Cliff Notes” version, ScotusBlog is usually a good source for reporting and summarizing key Supreme Court cases.
  • For those who want to review the source materials, here is:
    • A link to the oral arguments (audio and transcript) as they took place last Monday.
    • The Supreme Court docket page, with links to the various filings made by the parties in the case and amicus briefs filed by third parties.

Campus Protests and Free Speech

April 27, 2024
2 Comments

At last week’s meeting, we decided to have a discussion around the protests at Columbia University—with less focus on the subject of the protest and more on Columbia’s (or, since then, many other universities’) role in governing these activities.

Since that decision, protests have become much more widespread and there has been plenty of journalistic ink (or pixels) devoted to the back-and-forth between the protesters, the universities, and, perhaps unusual in this particular case, a group of non-protesters who feel threatened or harassed by the protest activities.

I won’t try to select from amongst the many articles and op-eds on the subject—there are plenty to choose from. I will just post the following opinion from a Princeton professor (a founding member of the Academic Freedom Alliance). I think it’s a sensible starting point for our discussion.

See you on Monday.

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