October 7 and the Yom Kippur War: My Personal Wound

For as long as I can remember, the large photograph of a handsome young man, with a camera resting on his shoulder, hung on the wall in my grandmother’s bedroom, seeming to look right at me. The photograph remained there until the last day of her life.

The Power of Anti-Zionism in the United States: A Gradual Hegemony Building

Building on Antonio Gramsci’s framework, this paper analyzes the hegemonic
consolidation that has led to the emergence of a strong anti-Zionist historic bloc.
It reinterprets the notion of a historic bloc not through the traditional Marxist
perspective of class hegemony, but rather through the prevalence of a resolute
Palestinian narrative.

When Academic Freedom Becomes Weaponised: The Normalisation of Antisemitic Expression in British Academia

Amira Halperin and Stephen Sussman argue that institutional neutrality within universities can function as a mechanism of avoidance, and how legal protections for speech are being invoked to justify inaction.

In the wake of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel, university campuses across Britain have become sites of intense conflict over Israel, Gaza, Zionism, and antisemitism. Campus protests and confrontations have raised difficult questions about the boundaries between protected political expression and conduct that intimidates, excludes, or discriminates against Jewish and Israeli students and faculty.

The Strait of Hormuz Crisis and the Limits of Iranian Coercion

With the 60-day U.S.-Iran negotiating period now expired and the two sides still far apart, the Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the confrontation. Traffic through one of the world’s most important energy corridors remains a fraction of prewar levels, while Washington and Tehran continue to disagree fundamentally over the terms under which normal navigation would resume. The immediate dispute raises a larger strategic question: can Tehran use control over a critical international waterway to compel a change in American strategy?

We are a Non-Partisan Public Policy Organization, a Research Center, and a Think Tank.

The Center is a gathering of scholars, experts and community stakeholders, that engage in research and dialogue in an effort to create practical policy recommendations and solutions to current local, national, and international challenges.

Latest Articles

The Venezuelan Regime’s Criminal Architecture: Drug Trafficking, Foreign Alliances, and Institutional Collapse —Part I

The Venezuelan Regime’s Criminal Architecture: Drug Trafficking, Foreign Alliances, and Institutional Collapse —Part I

In this exclusive interview with Diálogo, Luis Fleischman, an expert in international relations, sociology professor at Palm Beach State College, and founding co-chair of the Palm Beach Center for Democracy, reveals the complex and murky criminal architecture that sustains the Nicolás Maduro regime. With a highly detailed perspective, Fleischman describes how Venezuela went from being an oil power to becoming the hub of a regional drug trafficking network.

El Nobel de María Corina: ¿implosión interna del régimen?

El Nobel de María Corina: ¿implosión interna del régimen?

El Premio Nobel de Paz entregado a María Corina Machado ha sacudido el panorama político venezolano y ha abierto preguntas cruciales: ¿qué significa este reconocimiento para la legitimidad del régimen de Maduro?, ¿podría desatar una implosión interna?, ¿se acelera finalmente una transición democrática?

En esta entrevista exclusiva, el analista y académico Luis Fleischman, experto en transiciones políticas y seguridad hemisférica, explica cómo interpreta Estados Unidos el Nobel, qué mensaje envía a las Fuerzas Armadas, cómo puede cambiar la correlación de poder dentro del chavismo y si este premio internacional presiona al régimen hacia una salida negociada o hacia un mayor aislamiento.

Palm Beach Center for Democracy and Policy Research – News & Updates

Palm Beach Center for Democracy and Policy Research – News & Updates

Dr. Luis Fleischman has recently been featured in a wide range of Spanish-language media outlets—including CNN en Español, NTN24, Radio Martí, and América TV—where he discussed issues such as the Middle East, the deployment of U.S. warships in the Caribbean, and the Russia–Ukraine crisis. He has also published several articles in The National Interest, the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, and Newsmax. All articles are available on our website. Additionally, Dr. Fleischman provided commentary on U.S. naval deployments in the Caribbean in interviews with The New York Sun and Diálogo Américas, a publication of U.S. Southern Command.

Cutting the Maduro Regime’s Lifeline

Cutting the Maduro Regime’s Lifeline

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado, a woman who succeeded in unifying the Venezuelan opposition and spearheading the most effective peaceful social movement against the regime of Nicolás Maduro. Her award represents yet another international setback for Maduro’s government. It comes at a time when the Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to crack down on Caribbean drug-trafficking networks while holding the Maduro regime accountable for its criminal activities.

The Return of Barbarism

The Return of Barbarism

Walter Benjamin once observed, “There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism.” His insight points to the violent and bloody foundations upon which modern civilization was built: great monuments, cities, palaces, and fortifications often rose on the backs of slave labor, wars, and exploitation.

An Interview with Professor Robert Rabil at FAU By Linda Chase

An Interview with Professor Robert Rabil at FAU By Linda Chase

In the summer 2004, I faced a critical decision: whether to join the U.S. government as an intelligence analyst or continue my path in academia. After careful consideration, I chose the latter. I believed then—as I do now—that I could contribute more effectively to my country outside the constraints of government bureaucracy.

We believe in informed and collaborative thinking. Supporting the Center promotes independent ideas, bridges gaps, and helps develop effective policies that genuinely make a difference.

Invest in a brighter future. Donate to The Palm Beach Center for Democracy and Policy Research today.

PB/CD&PR – WEBINARS

Two Defining Moments: Reflecting on 9/11, October 7, and the Challenges Ahead

Featured in the News

Intervención en el Foro “Presencia de la dictadura de Irán en las Américas” celebrado en la sede del IID el 26 de febrero de 2026 por Luis Fleishman

PBD in The News

We, the Palm Beach Democracy Center, are acknowledged as a source in this article.
Kindly access it via the following link.

Acuerdo de Paz - Israel

Trump enviará 200 soldados a Gaza

Trump enviará 200 soldados a Gaza

Join the Conversation

Stay up to date with our newsletter!

Enter your mail to receive monthly updates, events and recaps.

The Center is a gathering of scholars, experts and community stakeholders, that engage in research and dialogue in an effort to create practical policy recommendations and solutions to current local, national, and international challenges.

©2025 The Palm Beach Center for Democracy and Policy Research. All Rights Reserved