Sometime in the not-so-distant future, we may look back on this past week and see significant turning points in global and domestic affairs. In Israel, the relative peace of the past several years abruptly ended when Hamas terrorists unleashed a barrage of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. While Israel's Iron Dome antimissile system has so far intercepted most of the projectiles, for Israel to continue defending itself over the longer term, Michael Rubin writes, a far more proactive strategy is required.

In the United States, meanwhile, there are signs the economic recovery could be stalling. The April jobs report fell far short of expectations, and Matt Weidinger warns that without a shift in policy, the job-creation engine the White House promised will have trouble meeting its projections. With inflation also on the rise, Michael Strain writes this is no time for nonchalance.

One recent policy shift is not helping. By supporting the suspension of intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, Michael Rosen argues the Joe Biden administration's well-intentioned effort will cause more harm than good. Not only will the patent waiver fail to improve vaccine availability in the developing world, but it will also give biotech companies far less incentive to invest in research and development the next time a pandemic comes around — or even as COVID-19 variants proliferate.

Finally, on a more encouraging note, this week on their podcast, Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen interviewed Steven Koonin, author of the new book "Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters" (BenBella Books, 2021). Hopefully, Koonin's voice will lead to a more informed and forthright conversation about the trade-offs inherent in crafting climate policy going forward.