Two years ago today, Hamas invaded Israel. They slaughtered some 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage. Most of their targets were civilians. Many were children. Forty-eight hostages are still being held in Gaza.
It was the single worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It was the beginning of a war between Israel and Iran. It was also a litmus test for the civilized world—one that too many have failed.
As we commemorate two years since that horrific day, negotiations between Hamas and Israel to reach a peace deal are currently underway in Egypt, and an end to the war feels closer than ever.
There is nobody better suited to make sense of this moment than Niall Ferguson. Niall is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford and a columnist at The Free Press. He is the author of 16 books, and one of the most influential historians of our time.
I sat down with Niall to discuss the lessons learned and the ones the world has yet to absorb, and America’s role in the war and in the broader, changing global order.
Bari I know this topic, but to be totally honest I subscribed for one month only (my family is lower middle class and money is tight) because I wanted to try to get this message to you because I thought it was of super importance. You may not. But if we wish to unify the country and avoid civil war I believe this to be necessary.
With your new job at CBS, I think it would be a great idea, and crucially needed, to have a Sunday night CBS News show dedicated to at least an hour long debate on a hot bottom topic. Line up sponsors so you can do it ad free and acknowledge them at the beginning and the end of the show for their sponsorship. Format; find the hottest issues either of that week or ongoing national fracturing, let each side choose their best representative to send and finally a moderator that is totally unbiased and can call balls and strikes. My guess is that maybe partnering with Straight Arrow News as a real time fact checker, like how the Jubilee debates do their post production Straight Arrow News fact checking. But at least an hour uninterrupted. Like Charlie Kirk said, when we stop talking that's when the violence starts. I love The Free Press debates! But post production, unbiased like Straight Arrow News graphic thrown up on the screen is vitally necessary to keep trust on both sides.
Jim, relax a bit. I'm not slinging around terms for no reason. Left and Right are terms to describe political philosophies. And I did not say fascism is the goal of only the right.
You asked a question. You wondered why people (historians?) consider Nazi's were from the Nationalist type movements which are most times considered of the "Right". I tried to answer your question. Just because they had Socialist as part of their name didn't mean they were Socialist of the "Left". Just because a group calls itself Jewish Voice for Peace doesn't mean they are either Jewish or for peace. The Soviets were considered Leftists. Doesn't mean they weren't as nasty as the Nazi's. I'm on your side Jim. And I say a curse on both their houses! Like I said. I just wanted to answer your question