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Articles by Steven Simon
Condensed Matter > Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
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COMMENTARY: What Trump’s ‘triumphal arch’ really means for America
President Donald Trump's planned 250-foot-high triumphal arch at the foot of Arlington National Cemetery, which he has proposed outfitting with armed drones and manning with snipers, is easy to shrug off as nothing more than a malignant daydream. The absurd whim of a mad king. But to indulge that temptation would be a mistake.
What Trump's 'triumphal arch' really means for America
President Donald Trump's planned 250-foot-high triumphal arch at the foot of Arlington National Cemetery, which he has proposed outfitting with armed drones and manning with snipers, is easy to shrug off as nothing more than a malignant daydream. The absurd whim of a mad king. But to indulge that temptation would be a mistake.
Commentary: What Trump's ‘triumphal arch' really means for America
President Donald Trump's planned 250-foot-high triumphal arch at the foot of Arlington National Cemetery, which he has proposed outfitting with armed drones and manning with snipers, is easy to shrug off as nothing more than a malignant daydream. The absurd whim of a mad king. But to indulge that temptation would be a mistake.
What Trump’s ‘triumphal arch’ really means for America
President Trump’s planned 250-foot-high triumphal arch at the foot of Arlington National Cemetery, which he has proposed outfitting with armed drones and manning with snipers, is easy to shrug off as nothing more than a malignant daydream. The absurd whim of a mad king. But to indulge that temptation would be a mistake.
Condensed Matter > Strongly Correlated Electrons
arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs.
Opinion: Sept. 11 hasn’t yet found its meaning
Every nation and every faith has rituals to bind its wounds, celebrate its victories, or commemorate deliverance. Americans set aside a Thursday in November to give thanks for a crucial harvest and sustain a founding myth of peaceful coexistence. Israelis sound a siren on Yom HaShoah and stand still and silent. Shiite Muslims mark Ashura with processions of grief for a seventh-century massacre that still organizes political identity today. These achieve different ends.
The Other War on Terror
For years, the United States’ political dysfunction has been attributed to large-scale social and economic changes. Experts point to the failures of globalization, rising inequality, reduced social mobility, or the long aftermath of the “China shock” more than two decades ago to explain today’s extreme polarization, collapsing trust in institutions, democratic erosion, immigration backlash, and struggling middle class.
Sept. 11 hasn’t yet found its meaning
Every nation and every faith has rituals to bind its wounds, celebrate its victories or commemorate deliverance: Americans set aside a Thursday in November to give thanks for a crucial harvest and sustain a founding myth of peaceful coexistence. Israelis sound a siren on Yom HaShoah and stand still and silent. Shiite Muslims mark Ashura with processions of grief for a seventh-century massacre that still organizes political identity today. These achieve different ends.
A New Government in Israel: What the Future Might Hold
Washington is waiting out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The implicit assumption is that he alone is responsible for policy differences between the United States and Israel. A new government under former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett or former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot would set things right and revive Israel’s reputation in American public opinion. It is a comfortable assumption — but also a deep misreading of what has gone wrong and what fixing it requires.
Sept 11 hasn’t yet found its meaning in America
EVERY nation and every faith has rituals to bind its wounds, celebrate its victories, or commemorate deliverance. Americans set aside a Thursday in November to give thanks for a crucial harvest and sustain a founding myth of peaceful coexistence. Shiite Muslims mark Ashura with processions of grief for a seventh-century massacre that still organises political identity today. These achieve different ends. Some carry a traumatised people through grief while holding the nation together.
Sept. 11 hasn't yet found its meaning
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Sept. 11 hasn't yet found its meaning
Every nation and every faith has rituals to bind its wounds, celebrate its victories, or commemorate deliverance. Americans set aside a Thursday in November to give thanks for a crucial harvest and sustain a founding myth of peaceful coexistence. Israelis sound a siren on Yom HaShoah and stand still and silent. Shiite Muslims mark Ashura with processions of grief for a seventh-century massacre that still organizes political identity today. These achieve different ends.
Commentary: Sept. 11 hasn't yet found its meaning
Fires still burn amidst the rubble of the World Trade Center on September 13, 2001 days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. (Jim Watson/U.S. Navy/Getty Images/TNS) Every nation and every faith has rituals to bind its wounds, celebrate its victories, or commemorate deliverance. Americans set aside a Thursday in November to give thanks for a crucial harvest and sustain a founding myth of peaceful coexistence. Israelis sound a siren on Yom HaShoah and stand still and silent.
The Disappearing Aid Check: The Future of US–Israel Defense Support
The United States and Israel are now approaching the renegotiation of their 10-year defense Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU. Israeli officials have said they want to phase out US military grant aid — a position that sounds like a step toward ending US military assistance to Israel. It is not.
Netanyahu’s Trump alignment leaves American Jewish community at risk
Jewish history includes three episodes of flourishing in exile: the Babylonian diaspora’s great academies; the centuries-long experiment in Moorish and then Christian Spain; and the American Jewish experience, particularly after World War II. But the American experience has come under intensifying threat and the causes are not mysterious.
The problem for American Jews under Netanyahu
By Steven Simon Jewish history includes three episodes of flourishing in exile: the Babylonian diaspora’s great academies; the centuries-long experiment in Moorish and then Christian Spain; and the American Jewish experience, particularly after World War II. However, the American experience has come under intensifying threat, and the causes are not mysterious.
American Jews in the crossfire
Jewish history includes three episodes of flourishing in exile: the Babylonian diaspora’s great academies; the centuries-long experiment in Moorish and then Christian Spain; and the American Jewish experience, particularly after World War II. But the American experience has come under intensifying threat, and the causes are not mysterious.
Iran War Threatens Asia’s “Yuxi Circle”: 55% of World Population at Risk
As the Iran war enters its fourth week, attention has largely focused on the Middle East and Western economies. But the most devastating impact may unfold across East, Southeast, and South Asia – a region containing 55% of humanity that’s extraordinarily dependent on energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The “Yuxi Circle,” named for the Chinese city at its center, encompasses a 2,500-mile radius that includes the Indian subcontinent, China, Japan, the Koreas, and all of ASEAN.
No, Israel Did Not Compel the U.S. to Wage War on Iran
A poster in Tehran's Revolution Square marks the 46th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover and hostage crisis in Tehran on Nov. 5, 2025. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered a striking explanation for why the United States attacked Iran: Washington, he said, “knew that there was going to be an Israeli action”, anticipated that Iran would retaliate against U.S. forces, and therefore hit first to reduce American casualties.
How ‘homeland’ put America on the path to illiberalism
The writer teaches at Dartmouth College and served as senior director for counterterrorism and, later, the Middle East and north Africa...
How to Avoid Another Syrian Civil War
In December, a band of rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham shocked the world by ousting Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. HTS’s leader, Ahmed al-Shara, created a government to oversee the country’s transition. Shara is a former jihadist who once led al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate. Nonetheless, U.S. President Donald Trump soon threw his weight behind him, describing him as “tough” and “attractive” after meeting him in May.
America Should End Israel’s War on Iran-Not Join It
Since launching its military operation against Iran last Friday, Israel has dealt a devastating blow to the country’s nuclear program, its ballistic missile arsenal, and its military leadership. But Israel is unlikely to be able to fully destroy Iran’s nuclear program by itself. It does not have the bombers or heavy ordnance it would need to penetrate the fortified, underground Fordow enrichment facility.
Advancing NOAA’s Subseasonal and Seasonal Applications and Enhancing Collaboration among Stakeholders, Modelers, and Researchers
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The US Must Now Reckon With a Hegemon in the Mideast: Israel
ISRAEL, MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER, HAS FEW INCENTIVES TO MAKE DEALS WITH ITS NEIGHBORS. Israel’s response to the Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, has fundamentally altered the Middle East balance of power in a way not seen since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It is time to acknowledge that Israel now looks like the region’s hegemon.
Did Trump just crown Saudi with leadership of Gaza ‘day after’ plan?
A month into the fragile ceasefire, Gazans are experiencing a brief respite from violence and the continuing release of Israeli hostages and imprisoned Palestinians. But debate over the future of Gaza reflects the agendas of states with a stake in the ongoing crisis — rather than the grim day-to-day reality Gazans face on the ground.
Syria’s Post-Authoritarian Trap
After half a century of tyranny, the Assad family’s rule over Syria has come to an end. Syrians have every right to celebrate, but their struggle is nowhere near finished. Although the dictator Bashar al-Assad’s final ouster appeared abrupt, it had its roots in Syria’s 2011 antigovernment protests, and Syrians will now face many of the same problems that beset other Arab countries after their Arab Spring revolutions.
Don’t Let Geopolitics Ruin Syria’s Transition
In December 2024, the regime of Bashar al-Assad crumbled like a house of cards. Rebel forces led by fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overtook Aleppo, in Syria’s north, before turning south in a lightning offensive. Upon the rebels’ arrival in Damascus a little over a week later, it had become clear that the government’s security forces were not prepared to fight for the regime, and Assad, after almost 25 years in power, fled to Moscow.
The Strange Triumph of a Broken America: Why Power Abroad Comes With …
By all appearances, the United States is a mess. Two-thirds of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track, and nearly 70 percent rate the economy as “not good” or “poor.” Public trust in government has fallen by half, from 40 percent in 2000 to just 20 percent today. Love of country is fading, too, with only 38 percent of Americans now saying patriotism is “very important” to them, down from 70 percent in 2000.
The Best Way For America to Help the New Syria
The shocking, sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime at the hands of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has prompted jubilation from Syrians who suffered 13 years of civil war and decades more of oppressive rule. But as a new government takes shape in Damascus, Syrians and foreign observers alike worry about how inclusive, representative, and Islamist it may be. The country’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is a former al Qaeda militant, though he claims to have renounced terrorism.
What Trump Could Do to the U.S. Military Original
Mr. Trump tested their capacity in this regard during his first term, and to his chagrin they passed. H.R. McMaster (national security adviser), James Mattis (secretary of defense) and John Kelly (chief of staff) reportedly finessed, slow-rolled and thwarted edicts from Mr. Trump that they considered wrong or grossly imprudent. Whether or not their judgments were sterling, the officials' bureaucratic maneuvering did not depart from established norms, and the president still had the last word.
The Least Bad Option for Lebanon
The Middle East is where clever foreign policy initiatives go to die. This has been the case since at least the Cairo Conference of 1921, at which British Secretary of State for War Winston Churchill—who had to be reminded repeatedly who was Shiite and who was Sunni, and what the difference was between them—devised a plan, in the space of ten days, to ensure long-term British interests in the region.
The Least Bad Option for Lebanon
The Middle East is where clever foreign policy initiatives go to die. This has been the case since at least the Cairo Conference of 1921, at which British Secretary of State for War Winston Churchill—who had to be reminded repeatedly who was Shiite and who was Sunni, and what the difference was between them—devised a plan, in the space of ten days, to ensure long-term British interests in the region.
Nothing justified Oct 7. Does Oct 7 justify everything?
Discover more from This Week, Those Books A quick weekly post and podcast that join the dots on the week's big news story and the world of books. Makes you smarter, faster. More than 10,000, in over 110 countries, agree. Over 10,000 subscribers Welcome to This Week, Those Books, your rundown on books new and old that resonate with the week’s big news story. This post is freely available to everyone as we are, first and foremost, a news literacy project and this contentious topic needs context.
Nothing justified Oct 7. Does Oct 7 justify everything?
Welcome to This Week, Those Books, your rundown on books new and old that resonate with the week’s big news story. This post is freely available to everyone as we are, first and foremost, a news literacy project and this contentious topic needs context. A very special shout out to those incredible folks who recently joined others in supporting this effort by investing in a paid membership. Thank you.
In Brief: The Real Impact of Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. Since Hamas invaded Israel, sparking the war in Gaza, on Oct. 7, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched attacks on over 70 vessels in the Red Sea.
Will Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ Hold Together?
Israel’s strikes on Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran signal that no leader within Iran’s “axis of resistance” is beyond reach. But what exactly is this alliance, how tight is Iran’s grip, and what are the stakes for the region and the United States if Israel goes to all-out war with it?
Only a Strong U.S. ‘No’ to Israel Will Stop War in Lebanon
As tension grows between Israel and Hezbollah, the dominant political and military force in Lebanon, neither side wants a full-scale war. But one could explode inadvertently — precipitated by the recent attacks on the Golan Heights and on Hezbollah and Hamas leaders — or deliberately, should Israel see a post-Gaza opportunity to rid itself of another one of its enemies.
Why Biden’s Gaza Gambit Is Likely to Fail
Woody Allen once quipped that 80 percent of success in life is just showing up. From a negotiator’s perspective, he was only half right; success more often than not depends on showing up at the right time. Anyone trying to make sense of U.S. President Joe Biden’s tortured attempt to sell Israel’s peace plan needs to take a hard look at time and timing and how each of the three major players calculate it. In essence, we have three separate clocks ticking at different relative rates.
New 9/11 Evidence Points to Deep Saudi Complicity
Two decades of U.S. policy appear to be rooted in a mistaken understanding of what happened that day. For more than two decades, through two wars and domestic upheaval, the idea that al-Qaeda acted alone on 9/11 has been the basis of U.S. policy.
New 9/11 Evidence Points to Deep Saudi Complicity
For more than two decades, through two wars and domestic upheaval, the idea that al-Qaeda acted alone on 9/11 has been the basis of U.S. policy. A blue-ribbon commission concluded that Osama bin Laden had pioneered a new kind of terrorist group—combining superior technological know-how, extensive resources, and a worldwide network so well coordinated that it could carry out operations of unprecedented magnitude.
New 9/11 Evidence Points to Deep Saudi Complicity
Listen1.0x 0:0027:47 Listen to more stories on curio For more than two decades, through two wars and domestic upheaval, the idea that al-Qaeda acted alone on 9/11 has been the basis of U.S. policy. A blue-ribbon commission concluded that Osama bin Laden had pioneered a new kind of terrorist group—combining superior technological know-how, extensive resources, and a worldwide network so well coordinated that it could carry out operations of unprecedented magnitude.
Israel’s escalating tit-for-tat with Iran
It is no accident that Israel and Iran are on the precipice of war. It is the result of long-standing agendas devised by misguided policymakers on both sides. Start with Iran. For decades its declared hatred of Israel and determination to erase the country from the map has been all-consuming. One struggles for a metaphor: Captain Ahab and the white whale? Iran’s policy towards Israel has been geared towards two things it feels it needs to stand nose-to-nose with its adversary.
The Middle East Is Still Post-American
After years of being sidelined by successive U.S. administrations, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been thrust back to the center of U.S. foreign policy. As some analysts now argue, given the intensity of the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the growing threat of a wider regional war, the past six months’ events will necessarily galvanize U.S. engagement in the Middle East for the foreseeable future.
The Middle East Is Still Post-American
After years of being sidelined by successive U.S. administrations, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been thrust back to the center of U.S. foreign policy. As some analysts now argue, given the intensity of the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the growing threat of a wider regional war, the past six months’ events will necessarily galvanize U.S. engagement in the Middle East for the foreseeable future.
Tom Friedman’s Strange Case for a U.S. Military Presence in Syria
Steven Simon Responsible Statecraft March 19, 2024 The NYT columnist is still peddling the old 'we're fighting them there so we don't have to here' chestnut. Read Full Article » Show comments Hide Comments Related Articles
U.S. Troops Are Dangerously Vulnerable in the Middle East
Three U.S. service members were killed near the Syrian border in northeastern Jordan by a drone from an Iranian-aligned militia over the weekend. U.S. troops are in the area to support the ongoing campaign against the Islamic State while also monitoring Iranian activity along the land corridor between Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
U.S. Troops are Dangerously Vulnerable in the Middle East
Three U.S. service members were killed near the Syrian border in northeastern Jordan by a drone from an Iranian-aligned militia over the weekend. U.S. troops are in the area to support the ongoing campaign against the Islamic State while also monitoring Iranian activity along the land corridor between Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
Netanyahu Should Quit. The U.S. Can Help With That.
When a nation suffers a surprise attack, the most obvious costs are the sheer loss of life and the immediate damage to national security. But another casualty can be the nation’s underlying strategic assumptions about the world it inhabits. This happened to the United States on 9/11, when terrorism went from a third-tier annoyance to the foremost security challenge the U.S. faced, and a new and little-known enemy emerged as its primary foe.
What Comes After Hamas?
Israel’s offensive against the Gaza Strip is ramping up. After the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas spilled out of Gaza to stage a brutal attack on Israel on October 7, the enclave is now under siege. Israel has cut off the delivery of electricity, water, fuel, and food. Israeli warnings have led hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to flee their homes, and Israeli bombs have killed thousands already.
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