The news from the war makes my regular summer break untimely, but, hey, my niece and nephew are arriving soon for a vacation with their uncle and I have a book to write. This year, though, I won’t be leaving the site empty. I’m particularly relieved that next week, as news from the war front continues to perplex and concern, I’ve persuaded one of my favorite – but lesser known – bloggers on the Middle East to guest-blog for a week. She’s Judith Apter Klinghoffer, a senior research associate in the department of Political Science at Rutgers University. I regularly check in on her blog at the History New Network. She is the co-author of “International Citizens’ Tribunals: Mobilizing Public Opinion to Advance Human Rights” and the author of “Vietnam, Jews and the Middle East: Unintended Consequences.” She’ll be blogging all of next week in this space. I may occasionally drop by for a quick post, but otherwise, she’s running the show; and the focus will be on the war. Please be courteous to our guest. Reserve your hate-mail for me.
THE FOLLOWING THREE: I’ll fully introduce the next three guest bloggers when their turn comes. But expect a really diverse and talented crowd. The week of August 1, The New Republic’s star writer, Frank Foer, will be blogging; the week of August 8, Dan Savage, editor of the Stranger and author of several books and the legendary sex advice column, Savage Love, will be stirring things up; he’ll be followed by Walter Kirn, one of the best novelists and critics of his generation. I’m really grateful to these newcomers to blogging for daring to take the plunge for a week or so. I told each of them that they should not in any way feel constrained to agree with me on anything; as when I edited The New Republic, my basic philosophy is the more diverse and interesting the arguments the better, regardless of ideology. I may drop by from time to time to post something pressing, but I’ll be back full-time August 22.
The Dish 