What changes now that the U.S. softened its position on Israeli settlements?

What changes now that the U.S. softened its position on Israeli settlements?

Well, I mean, not a lot. I mean, keep in mind that this is also the administration that moved the embassy to Jerusalem, from Tel Aviv. Everyone said that was going to be a massive problem. Ultimately, not many people cared. Same thing with recognition of Golan Heights for Israel. This is just one more give from the Americans to the Israelis in the context of a region that doesn't care as much as they used to about Israel - Palestine.

Images coming out of Hong Kong make it look like a war zone. Is it?

It certainly feels that way in the Polytech U. More broadly, no. The number of demonstrators is a lot smaller than they used to be. This is killing the Hong Kong economy. They're in serious recession right now. And the fact that you now have People's Liberation Army on the streets helping with cleanup is closer to a tipping point where they actually insert military to use repression to stop these demonstrations. We really hope that doesn't happen.

What are the takeaways from the leaked Iran Cables?

Well, the big takeaway is that four years ago, Iran was basically in charge of Iraq, picking the key cabinet officials and having massive influence on the ground. One of the reasons you have big demonstrations right now against that government, in Iraq.