Suchergebnisse

The editors of Dissent asked a number of distinguished commentators to respond to the following statement & questions: For a quarter of a century, Iran has been ruled by a militant theocracy. After the shah's regime -- authoritarian, brutal, & backed by the United States -- was overthrown, the new regime quickly proved itself to be authoritarian, cruel, & self-warranted by Islamic fundamentalism. Reform efforts have proved chimerical, & Tehran has pursued nuclear capabilities with vigor, long deceiving the International Atomic Energy Agency & Western interlocutors about its efforts. To what extent should the character of the Iranian regime govern Western responses to its ambitions? Should Iran be considered just one state among others, seeking its legitimate self-interests? What "threat" does the current Iranian regime pose in today's world? Adapted from the source document.

A discussion of health care reform in the US looks to past reform efforts for insights. Health reform is traced from the Progressive Era through Depression Era pursuit of universal health insurance to Truman's Fair Deal UHI to the fight for Medicare in 1965 to another quest for UHI, 1970-1974. This brief history highlights three important constants in US politics: (1) Compulsory health insurance is ideologically controversial with large symbolic, financial, & personal stakes. (2) The limits of political feasibility are much less distinct than many realize. (3) The role of language & emotive symbols cannot be underestimated. In this light, a proposal for health care reform is advanced, beginning with the establishment of a commission, a set of five common goals, & a set of five areas of common ground found among prominent extant reform proposals. In addition, the worst fears generated by each reform model should be addressed. Some remarks are offered on place of health care reform in the current political context as the 2008 US presidential election approaches. D. Edelman

Discusses the debate on immigration & national identity in France in terms of the resignation of several historians from the Cite nationale de l'histoire de l'immigration (CNHI) as a result of the creation of the controversial Ministry of Immigration, Integration, National Identity, & Codevelopment following President Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 government reorganization. At issue is CNHI's work on a national immigration history museum designed to assign a critical place for immigration in French history & identity. The resignation's purpose was to stress (1) the museum's independence from political intervention implied by the new ministry, (2) the academic independence of those collaborating on state institutions, & (3) that the ministry's title stood counter to the ideal of the museum & the French Republic. The ministry title's components are analyzed in light of the far right's perspective on French national identity, & while efforts have been made to address the concerns of those who resigned, it is argued that a ministry dedicated to the issue of immigration & national identity is ominous. D. Edelman