“We can’t lose focus” after Bin Laden’s death, said the former Secretary of State, the woman who helped author the most costly loss of focus in the history of America’s fight against terrorism. Of course, Condi Rice had no earthly idea when she spouted her “mushroom cloud” warning years ago that Saddam Hussein had long given up his nuclear [...]
Archive for the ‘democracy’ Category
AfPak: Too Big To Fail?
Posted in 9/11, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, defense spending, democracy, Fundamentalism, Iraq, islam, Middle East, Muslims, nuclear weapon, Obama, Osama, Pakistan, Radical, revolution, September 11, South Asia, Taleban, Taliban, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged 9/11, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, America, Americans, defense spending, Iraq, islam, Middle East, Muslims, nuclear, Pakistan, South Asia, Taliban, U.S. Foreign Policy on May 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
What Comes First: The Dictator or the Fundamentalist?
Posted in 9/11, Al Qaeda, democracy, Egypt, Europe, Fundamentalism, Iran, Iraq, islam, Middle East, Muslims, Obama, Osama, Radical, revolution, September 11, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, youth, tagged 9/11, Al Qaeda, America, democracy, Egypt, elections, Europe, Iraq, Libya, Middle East, mullah, Muslims, Radical, Syria, Tunisia, U.S. Foreign Policy, Yemen, youth on April 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“La Ikhwan, La Salafia. A Sha’ab Bidu Huriyya.” “No Muslim Brotherhood. No Salafists. The Youth want Freedom.” The language above on the sign held up by a Syrian protester this week encapsulates all the promise, and anxiety, of this moment for Western policy makers watching the Arab revolutions unfold. What kind of freedom? Who will [...]
Demonstrations, With Air Support?
Posted in 9/11, Al Qaeda, democracy, Egypt, Europe, Fundamentalism, Hamas, Hizbullah, Iran, islam, Middle East, Muslims, Obama, Osama, Radical, revolution, September 11, South Asia, Taleban, Taliban, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, youth, tagged 9/11, Al Qaeda, America, Americans, Arab, democracy, Egypt, Europe, Hamas, islam, Libya, Middle East, Muslims, Obama, Radical, Saudi Arabia, Taliban, terrorism, Tunisia, U.S. Foreign Policy, youth on March 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“Barack Obama has now fired more cruise missiles than all other Nobel Peace Prize winners combined.” It’s good for a laugh. A cheap laugh. The blogger who wrote this clearly doesn’t have any appreciation for the reality that confronts American presidents on a daily basis. No doubt he or she also did not have any [...]
Development Disrupted
Posted in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, democracy, Egypt, Europe, Fundamentalism, Iraq, islam, Middle East, Muslims, Pakistan, Radical, South Asia, Taliban, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, Women, tagged Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Americans, democracy, Egypt, Iraq, islam, Pakistan, Radical, South Asia, U.S. Foreign Policy on October 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
In Tamim Ansary’s excellent history, Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes- written in plain, digestable English, not scholar-speak- a particular passage recently struck me as a lost morsel of critical perspective as we wage our “global war against extremism”. In his book, Ansary is talking about the 7th century battle of Uhud, [...]
Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency
Posted in Afghanistan, democracy, Egypt, Fundamentalism, Iran, Iraq, islam, Israel, Middle East, Muslims, nuclear weapon, Obama, Pakistan, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged Afghanistan, Americans, Arab Gulf, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, islam, Israel, Jordan, mullah, nuclear, Palestinians, Saudi Arabia, Tea Party, U.S. Foreign Policy on September 2, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
This past weekend I hopped on Interstate 95 and rubbernecked my way along stimulus-inspired construction lanes down to colonial Williamsburg, a time-warp back to the days of British empire in America and its discontents. A passion-play called “Revolutionary City” was captivating a crowd of tourists along the former colonial capital’s cobblestone avenues, complete with costumed [...]
Don’t Bargain with Iran for the Americans
Posted in democracy, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged America, Americans, elections, Iran, Iranians, Iraq, U.S. Foreign Policy on May 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Rumors were rife last week of a back room bargain between Iran and the United States for the release of the three Americans who “strayed” into Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan last July. Here’s a few reasons why its a bad idea: We Cant Betray Iran’s Great Hope: Deal-making with the mullahs sends the wrong message [...]
Yes, The Path Does Run Through Jerusalem
Posted in Al Qaeda, democracy, Egypt, elections, Fundamentalism, Hamas, islam, Israel, Middle East, Muslims, Radical, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged Al Qaeda, America, democracy, Egypt, elections, islam, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Muslims, Palestine, Palestinians, Radical, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy on April 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Jackson Diehl likes to talk about the futility of a dead Middle East peace process. Like most opinion leaders in our American media, he blames this squarely on a divided Palestinian leadership and an Arab world rife with corrupt autocracies unwilling to compromise. Now is not the time to push major initiatives, he argues. [...]
The State of Iraq
Posted in democracy, elections, Iran, Iraq, islam, Lebanon, Middle East, Muslims, Shia, Sunni, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged America, Americans, democracy, elections, Iran, Iraq, islam, Lebanon, Middle East, Shia, Sunni, U.S. Foreign Policy on March 31, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
On a hazy day in Baghdad in late Autumn 2004, a friend caught up to me as I was walking just outside the Republican Palace, back then the U.S. embassy complex. He was a pretty senior guy on the Governance Team, the outfit that had organized the transfer of sovereignty a few months previous to [...]
Iran Schools America in Smart Power
Posted in Afghanistan, democracy, Hizbullah, Iran, Iraq, islam, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Muslims, Pakistan, Taleban, Taliban, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged Afghanistan, America, Americans, democracy, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Middle East, Muslims, Pakistan, Taliban, U.S. Foreign Policy on March 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
$1.05 trillion already appropriated by Congress. Billions more on the way to support the surge in Afghanistan and the drawdown in Iraq. Over 5,300 American women and men dead. Over 30,000 wounded, in Iraq alone. Hundreds of thousands of others who will rely on government health care for the rest of their lives to cope [...]
Chalabi, Again…
Posted in 9/11, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, democracy, elections, Fundamentalism, Iran, Iraq, islam, Middle East, Muslims, Radical, September 11, Sunni, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged 9/11, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, America, Americans, democracy, elections, Iran, Iraq, islam, Jordan, Middle East, Muslims, Radical, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy on February 22, 2010 | 1 Comment »
In the latest news from Iraq, that forgotten battlefield where over 100,000 uniformed American men and women (and thousands of others without uniforms) are still stationed, the main Sunni political party has just withdrawn from next month’s national elections. Their reason: A vetting panel headed by two Shi’ite politicians with close ties to Iran has [...]
