Opinion

I would guess that if you asked Jews what the worst book of the 20th century was, Mein Kampf (My Struggle) would be chosen by many or most Jews. The book was written by Adolf Hitler and published in two volumes in 1925 and 1926 while he was incarcerated as a result of his attempt to take over the German government by force in 1923. It contains many anti-Semitic themes and foreshadowed what he would do to European Jewry if he gained power.

Iran has many problems. The U.S. has bombed its nuclear facilities, and Israel has damaged or destroyed many other strategic sites. Israel also killed many of its top generals and leading scientists. The country is suffering from economic sanctions that restrict its ability to buy and sell a wide variety of merchandise. But it is also experiencing another problem that, in some ways, is even more pressing—and no one has any idea how to resolve it. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian summed it up in a few words: Iran, he said, is on the brink of a dire water crisis.

Israel’s Iron Dome defense system is a technological marvel, but it is not a perfect solution to Israel’s defense needs. The most significant drawback is that, chas v’shalom, a massive rocket attack could be overwhelming. Israel claims that its existing systems have a 90% intercept rate, but that still leaves serious danger from the 10% that gets through. In an unusually large attack, that would be devastating.

Many prominent and respected people have been warning that this would happen, and now that it has, we should not be shocked. Nevertheless, we are. And while no one can predict the future, one thing is certain: the developments we’ve seen so far are not even the tip of the iceberg.

For decades, many people have worried that the world is becoming overpopulated. They were concerned about shortages of food and water, not enough affordable housing, too little living space, and environmental issues. These days people are still worried about population—but for a very different reason. Populations in numerous countries are shrinking rapidly and, if this trend continues, everyone will be affected.

If you follow the business news, you’re probably aware that, officially, the U.S. debt now exceeds $37 trillion, a number so humongous that it is impossible to grasp what that means. But before you try to, take a deep breath and brace yourself for a hard landing. According to one very recent analysis, the real amount of debt is actually much more than that. In this view, the real number is more than $151 trillion.