The Trials and Tribulations of Leadership: Netanyahu to Decide on Trip to World Cup Final

Much is made of the weight that falls on the shoulders of world leaders and the life-and-death decisions that so often must be made. Israelis, for example, are pondering the course Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will choose as he wrestles with whether to accept Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to Moscow for the final game of the World Cup series. Actually, some might pity the two leaders knowing the weighty topics about which they confer regularly and surmising that much of the game would be shop talk. Israel’s ability to maneuver in Syrian air space where Russia rules the roost is important as is Netanyahu’s insistence that Iran be sent packing from Israel’s neighborhood. Although Netanyahu is just one of a number of leaders invited to the July 15 match, as he did when he traveled to Russia to celebrate its victory over Germany in World War II, the Israeli prime minister will no doubt find himself up front and accessible to President Putin. And it might be hard work at that.