Dear Barack: The extraordinary partnership of Barack Obama and Angela Merkel
oday, we know US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as two of the world’s most influential leaders, together at the center of some of the biggest controversies and most impressive advancements of our time. But while their friendship has been the subject of both scrutiny and admiration, few know the full story. Taking office at the height of the 2008 global recession, Obama was keenly aware of the fractured relationship between the US and Europe. And for her part, Merkel was suspicious of the charismatic newcomer who had captivated her country. Faced with the challenges of globalization, the two often clashed over policy, but—as the first Black president and first female chancellor—they shared a belief that democracy could uplift the world.
The Broken Promise of a Promised Land
Zionism . . . promotes the narrative that the Nazi holocaust is exceptional in human history – despite it being one of many holocausts from Native Americans North and South to Armenia and Rwanda. It sets Jews apart from the victims and survivors of other genocides instead of uniting us with them . . . Billions of US dollars flow annually to Israel to sustain the occupation and Israel’s sophisticated and brutal army. The war machine they fund is a leader in the global arms industry, which drains resources craved by a world in desperate need of water, food, health care, housing and education.
The Broken Promise of a Promised Land
Zionism . . . promotes the narrative that the Nazi holocaust is exceptional in human history – despite it being one of many holocausts from Native Americans North and South to Armenia and Rwanda. It sets Jews apart from the victims and survivors of other genocides instead of uniting us with them . . . Billions of US dollars flow annually to Israel to sustain the occupation and Israel’s sophisticated and brutal army. The war machine they fund is a leader in the global arms industry, which drains resources craved by a world in desperate need of water, food, health care, housing and education.