Joel Brinkley: Right on Falk, Wrong on Academia

My latest at the Campus Watch blog:

Stanford University journalism professor and former New York Times foreign policy correspondent Joel Brinkley has written a commendable article in the San Francisco Chronicle questioning Princeton University professor emeritus of international law Richard Falk's role as special representative of the U.N. Human Rights Council. Falk is charged with investigating alleged Israeli human rights abuses against the Palestinians or, in other words, drumming up false charges against Israel on behalf of a "human rights council" that includes the Organization of the Islamic Conference, among other unsavory participants.

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The Mumbai Atrocities: Where is the Outrage?

In my latest SFGate column, I bemoan the indifference with which the horrific attack on Mumbai was met, as well as the complacency towards Islamism that seems to be on the rise. Here are the opening paragraphs:

It was often said after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that everything had changed. And for a few years afterwards, indeed it had. After decades of denial, America and its allies went on the offensive against Islamic terrorism, both militarily and morally. Most importantly, there was no hesitancy to name the enemy or to condemn his inhumanity.

But if the lack of outrage over the Islamic terrorist assault on Mumbai, India last month was any indication, everything has changed back.

Continue reading "The Mumbai Atrocities: Where is the Outrage?"

Update: Two earlier columns that strongly reflect my thoughts on this subject are Steven Emerson's "They're Winning" and Daniel Pipes' (with whom I work) "Still Asleep After Mumbai."

Latest inFocus Features Campus Watch

The Winter 2008 issue of inFocus, the quarterly journal of the Jewish Policy Center (JPC), is now available and it concentrates on all things campus-related. My Campus Watch article, "Rashid Khalidi, Campus Watch & Middle East Studies," is among the offerings. In it, I take a look at the radical past and propagandistic career of Columbia professor Rashid Khalidi, examples of other Middle East studies academics with radical associations, and Campus Watch's role in calling attention to such matters. Other contributors include Campus Watch adjunct scholar Asaf Romirowsky, David Horowitz, Alan Dershowitz, Larry Greenfield, Sarah Stern, and many more.

JPC executive director Matthew Brooks elaborates on the issue in a recent mailing, which is reprinted below:

Academia has become a hotbed for activist professors who preach anti-American, anti-Western, and anti-Israel rhetoric. Students are taught that the myriad problems in the Middle East are the fault of Israel and the United States. Programs teaching these and other Leftist canards are often funded by Arab petrodollars, or even federal taxpayer funds.

The JPC has solicited experts to identify and provide solutions to this mounting challenge that threatens future generations of Americans, and impacts the issues and policies we all care about.

This issue features an article by JPC distinguished fellow David Horowitz, who offers a first-hand account of how campus elements with radical agendas intimidate students and encourage Islamist hate speech to flourish.

The JPC is proud to publish in this issue a candid interview with distinguished Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, which highlights the depth of anti-Israel sentiment on campus.

We are also proud to print a great piece on alumni activism by JPC supporter Robert Lewit, who writes on behalf of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

This journal showcases writing from a broad coalition of campus watchdogs and scholarly organizations that seek to reform our universities. They include Campus Watch, the Association for the Study of Middle East and Africa, the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, and others. Here's the full table of contents:

David Horowitz - A Survey of Challenges on Campus

Cinnamon Stillwell - Rashid Khalidi, Campus Watch & Middle East Studies

Larry Greenfield - The Rise of Campus Anti-Zionism in California

Sarah Stern - The Wahhabi Jihad for Young American Minds

Mitchell Bard - Israel Studies Grows on Campus

Alan Dershowitz - Interview: Making the Case for Israel on Campus

Asaf Romirowsky - The Academy and the Palestinian Refugees

Michael I. Krauss - Challenging the Status Quo in Middle Eastern Studies

Erin O'Connor and Maurice Black - Academic Freedom and Middle East Studies

Patrick Coyle - Campus Conservatives Can Succeed With the Right Strategy

Robert Lewit - Trustees Can Hold Middle East Studies Accountable

Click here to access the Winter 2008 issue of inFocus online. Print issues are available with a subscription.