Sometimes it seems that Westerners, with few exceptions, are wholly unable to comprehend the politics of the non-Western world, no matter how long they claim to have studied it or what their ostensible credentials are.

Don’t believe me? How many scholars, experts, “poltiical realists”, reporters specializing in the Middle East beat, politicians resposible for policy making, or diplomats specializing in the Middle East recognize and will tell you that Iran is at war with the USA (and Britain) and has been for almost 30 years, and act accordingly. What’s more Iran’s government continually says that and threatens action to carry out the war, and continually refuses to negotiate with the USA no matter how many efforts we make to “talk to Iran”, but the twits mentioned above ignore that completely. Now Obama thinks that his charming smile will thaw the Iranian Mullahs. That nasty Bush just didn’t want to talk to the poor darlings dontcherknow. Uh-huh.

A keen appreciation of the interactions of the Chicago Gangs at the time of Al Capone would be more useful than “Middle Eastern Studies”. Except, of course, that Capone was less murderous and more reliable when he made an agreement than almost all the various Third World tyrants around.

Will that be a lot like Meryl’s “Israel Double Standard Time”?

I wouldn’t mind this so much except that I rather doubt he would take such a passive stance if he interviewed Livni or Bush.

However, in the soon to be revealed Bensky Bifurcated System of Middle Eastern Political Analysis, the reasons for this will become clear.