Dive into the intriguing dynamics of Middle Eastern geopolitics, where Israel's security landscape shifts amid changing threats. Explore the fallout of controversial U.S. remarks on European security and witness the ongoing Palestinian protests against Hamas. Catch an unusual take on J.D. Vance's Greenland visit and unravel America's complex ties to oil stability in the region. Plus, reflect on the giants of Southern literature, examining the powerful legacy of writers like Faulkner and O'Connor.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Signal Leak
The Trump administration added Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat with senior government officials.
Goldberg then leaked details about planned airstrikes on the Houthis.
insights INSIGHT
Leaks Happen
Leaks are inevitable, though the methods change with technology, according to Walter Russell Mead.
The Signal leak reflects typical early administration sloppiness, not a major crisis.
insights INSIGHT
Vance's Opposition
J.D. Vance's opposition to the Houthi airstrikes wasn't surprising, given his stance.
His remarks confirm the Trump administration's skepticism towards European security reliance on the U.S.
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The novel centers on two main characters: Lena Grove, a pregnant white woman searching for the father of her child, and Joe Christmas, a man of mixed ethnicity struggling with his identity. The story is set in Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County and explores the Southern gothic and modernist literary genres. It delves into themes of alienation, Christian allegory, and the persistent obsession with blood and race in the South. The narrative is characterized by its non-linear structure, using flashbacks and a fluid transition between past and present to highlight the burden of history on the present and the splintering of personal identity[1][2].
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole
A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel that tells the story of Ignatius J. Reilly, an overweight, unemployed, and intellectually arrogant man living with his mother in New Orleans. The novel is a rich satire that critiques modern society through Ignatius's interactions with a diverse cast of characters, including his mother Irene, his girlfriend Myrna Minkoff, and various eccentric figures from New Orleans. Written in the early 1960s while Toole was in the army, the book was published posthumously in 1980 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. It is celebrated for its witty and absurd portrayal of life in New Orleans and its memorable protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly.
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss Signalgate, Palestinian protests against Hamas, JD Vance's trip to Greenland, and what Trump sees when he scans the Middle East.
Each week on What Really Matters, Walter Russell Mead and Jeremy Stern help you understand the news, decide what matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now. For more, check out tabletmag.com/what-really-matters. You can read Walter Russell Mead’s Tablet column here, and check out more from Tablet here.
What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead 
