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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 12-Mar-2014
12-Mar-14 World View -- Accusations fly as Israeli-Palestinian 'peace process' nears deadline

Web Log - March, 2014

12-Mar-14 World View -- Accusations fly as Israeli-Palestinian 'peace process' nears deadline

Genghis Khan owes his Mongol Empire to global warming

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

Genghis Khan owes his Mongol Empire to global warming
Accusations fly as Israeli-Palestinian 'peace process' nears deadline

Genghis Khan owes his Mongol Empire to global warming

Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan

A study of tree rings in Asia shows that the meteoric rise of Genghis Khan's Mongol empire occurred during several decades of warm, moist weather in 1211-25, that followed a period of severe drought from about 1180-90. The warm, wet weather provided rich, productive pastures for the herds of war horses on which the Mongols and Khan's invading armies depended. According to the study's author:

"The transition from extreme drought to extreme moisture right then strongly suggests that climate played a role in human events. It wasn’t the only thing, but it must have created the ideal conditions for a charismatic leader to emerge out of the chaos, develop an army and concentrate power.
Where it’s arid, unusual moisture creates unusual plant productivity, and that translates into horsepower. Genghis was literally able to ride that wave."

Each Mongolian horseman in Genghis’s army is said to have had up to five horses, which provided a supply of meat as well as transport. Higher grass yields would have also caused a boom in camels, yaks, cattle, sheep and other livestock. Independent (London)

Accusations fly as Israeli-Palestinian 'peace process' nears deadline

Pretty much everyone has known from the beginning that the Obama administration inspired 9-month Mideast "peace process" never had a chance of reaching an agreement, but now that the nine months are almost up and a deadline is approaching, all parties are positioning themselves to blame someone else when the talks collapse.

The lynchpin that's kept the talks going for this long is that the Obama administration convinced Israeli leaders last July to release 104 prisoners, in four evenly spaced groups of 26, from Israeli jails. All the released prisoners had been convicted of terrorist acts prior to the 1994 Oslo accords. But they're treated as heroes by the Palestinians, and so the Palestinian negotiators are willing to continue the negotiations as long as the prisoners are being released. 78 prisoners have been released so far, and the last batch of 26 are scheduled for release on March 28. The "peace talks" then officially end on April 29.

Among the issues separating the two sides, there are two major ones:

The Israelis insist that since there will be a "Palestinian state," the Palestinians should agree that Israel is a "Jewish state." In fact, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has taken a firm stand against recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, and the Arab League has backed him, saying that Israel as a Jewish state would make Israeli Arabs second class citizens.

The Palestinians insist that the Israelis must agree to a "right of return," meaning that the grandchildren of Palestinians who lost their homes in the 1940s could reclaim those homes in modern Israel. The Israelis have taken a firm stand against this, saying that if all the children and grandchildren of Palestinian refugees were permitted to return to their 1940s homes, then Israel would no longer exist. The Israelis also point out that although there are many Palestinians living in Israel, not a single Israeli civilian or soldier will be permitted to live in a Palestinian state.

The U.S. State Dept. appears to be siding with the Palestinians, in a statement by State Dept. spokesman Jen Psaki said:

"The American position is clear, Israel is a Jewish state. However, we do not see a need that both sides recognize this position as part of the final agreement."

Since there's no chance at all of a peace deal by the April 29 deadline, the Obama administration is looking desperately for a way to keep the talks going on past that date. Presumably, the Palestinians would have to have some other motivator to stay in the talks, once the prisoner releases have ended. Israel National News and Jerusalem Post and Russia Today

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 12-Mar-14 World View -- Accusations fly as Israeli-Palestinian 'peace process' nears deadline thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (12-Mar-2014) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 12-Mar-2014 12-Mar-14 World View -- Accusations fly as Israeli-Palestinian 'peace process' nears deadline

Genghis Khan owes his Mongol Empire to global warming

Accusations fly as Israeli-Palestinian 'peace process' nears deadline

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 12-Mar-2014
12-Mar-14 World View -- Accusations fly as Israeli-Palestinian 'peace process' nears deadline