Well-Made World 31

Dear February,

No more, thank you. Really. It's been quite enough.

Love,
NE
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Again we go to the real news for a dialogue with Institute for Policy Studies' Phyllis Bennis. The Iraqi Parliament has recently passed three sweeping laws aimed at reconciliation between Shia and Sunni factions, including a potential amnesty deal for thousands of Iraqi prisoners. Bennis considers the extent to which the passing of these laws represents true compromise and a step forward--or whether they simply postpone more bitter wrangling in the months to come.

In a piece for Comment is Free, Haifa Zangana examines the gap between rhetoric and reality in the American government's frequent proclamations on Iraq.

From the West Bank, Khaled Amayreh reports that any hopes for peace in Israel/Palestine in 2008 ought to be scrapped; meanwhile, settlement-building in East Jerusalem has just been jumpstarted once again.

And finally, now that William Kristol has settled comfortably into his new perch at the New York Times, Znet has felt compelled to remind everyone of his, er, legacy.