'Commentators close to the Palestinian rights movement have feared exactly this scenario'

'Democrats ignored Gaza and brought down their party'

Peter Beinart at The New York Times

Israel and Palestine have "triggered one of the greatest surges in progressive activism in a generation," says Peter Beinart. Not "only did Harris not break with Mr. Biden's policy, she went out of her way to make voters who care about Palestinian rights feel unwelcome." This "provided Trump an opportunity," and "people who are passionate about Palestinian rights rarely occupy influential positions in Democratic campaigns." The "Palestinian exception is not just immoral. It's politically disastrous."

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'How Trump will change the world'

Peter D. Feaver at Foreign Affairs

The "known unknown is how the rest of the world will react and what the ultimate outcome will be" in Trump's second term, says Peter D. Feaver. The "more extreme factions will have the upper hand, and they will press their advantage to ice out more moderate voices." The "essence of Trump's approach to foreign policy — naked transactionalism — remains unchanged. But the context in which he will try to carry out his idiosyncratic form of dealmaking has changed."

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'Trump is a big reason Americans are fractured. We must rally around each other.'

Suzette Hackney at USA Today

America "struggled with the racial and gender equality that would have been necessary to elect Harris," says Suzette Hackney, and it's "something we'll likely grapple with for at least the next four years and beyond." Some "lacked confidence in Americans to look beyond our gender and racial biases." Republicans are "tired of the status quo, that Democrats have allowed the country to grow stagnant," but "what's more status quo than the idea that America is unable to elect a woman president?"

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'Sanctions evasion helps Russia dominate former Soviet republics'

Janusz Bugajski at The Hill

Russia's "blatant interference in the general elections in Georgia and Moldova demonstrates its determination to regain control over other former Soviet republics, despite its inability to install a pro-Russian regime in Ukraine," says Janusz Bugajski. Russia "also relies on extensive violations of Western economic sanctions to pull the South Caucasus and Central Asia states back into its orbit." These "schemes pose a challenge for Western governments seeking to sever Russia's economic lifeline for its military aggression."

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