What Passover tells us about international relations

A tip of the ol’ cranial cover to my former student ES.

An article from Daniel Drezner of Tufts University. The four questions lead him to four “relevant lessons about politics.”

1) Minority rights in an autocratic regime are a fragile thing.

2) Sanctions against an autocratic regime will rarely yield significant concessions.

3) God was not that good at bargaining.*

4) America’s idiotic sugar quotas are particularly bad for the Jews.

*Yes, yes, God was the one who hardens Pharaoh’s heart, but that just makes the story sound like a seven-year old boy playing both sides of a checkers game.

Each of the four points is explained in his essay. It is worth the 60 seconds to read (especially for #4).