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. [...]
Archive for the ‘Israel’ Category
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 »
The Elephant (Not) Attending the Summit
Posted in Iran, islam, Israel, Middle East, Muslims, nuclear weapon, Obama, Pakistan, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged America, Americans, democracy, Iran, Iranians, islam, Israel, Middle East, nuclear, Obama, Pakistan, Palestine, Palestinians, U.S. Foreign Policy on April 14, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Obama’s nuclear dream seems nice and perhaps in another dimension of reality (paradoxically called Fantasy Land), achievable. Down here on earth, nations will never give up nuclear capability once they have it because they will never know if their adversaries will develop it today or some time in the future. (They don’t even know who [...]
Strange Bedfellows
Posted in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Egypt, elections, Hamas, Hizbullah, Iran, Iraq, islam, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Muslims, Pakistan, Radical, South Asia, Sunni, Taleban, Taliban, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, America, Americans, Egypt, elections, Hamas, Iran, Iraq, islam, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Muslims, Pakistan, Palestine, Palestinians, South Asia, Taliban, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy on April 7, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
You wonder what Afghan president Hamid Karzai was thinking over the past several days as he unleashed a fusillade of vitriol against his primary benefactor, the United States. His comments, such as “foreigners” were responsible for the presidential election fraud that declared him the outright winner, or that he was prepared to join the Taliban [...]
Israel Sides with Its Extremists
Posted in Al Qaeda, Fundamentalism, islam, Israel, Middle East, Muslims, Osama, Radical, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged Al Qaeda, America, Americans, Gaza, islam, Israel, Middle East, Muslims, Palestine, Palestinians, Radical, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy on March 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
That most rare and unusual of incidents in our political system has recently occurred: the U.S. military has publicly entered the fray on the political calculus of a foreign policy issue. General David Petraeus, CENTCOM commander, the mastermind of the Iraq surge and the most celebrated soldier of America’s recent history, has spoken: our relationship [...]
Iran’s Conflicted Diaspora: A Force for Change?
Posted in Afghanistan, Fundamentalism, India, Iran, Iraq, islam, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, nuclear weapon, Pakistan, Radical, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged Afghanistan, America, Americans, Diaspora, India, Iran, Iranians, Iraq, islam, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, mullah, nuclear, Pakistan, Radical, Shia, U.S. Foreign Policy on March 15, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Iran’s cunning leadership has effectively divided the major powers of the world between those willing to engage with it and others who seek to contain or even obliterate it. Without unity and leadership among these various nations, the idea of outside actors influencing real change in Iranian behavior is dead on arrival. Iranians themselves are [...]
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 [...]
A Little Island with More Backbone than a Super Power
Posted in 9/11, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, democracy, Egypt, Fundamentalism, Iran, Iraq, islam, Israel, Middle East, Muslims, Osama, Pakistan, Radical, September 11, South Asia, Sunni, Taliban, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged 9/11, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, America, Americans, democracy, Egypt, Gaza, Iran, Iraq, islam, Israel, Jordan, Middle East, Muslims, Palestine, Palestinians, Radical, Saudi Arabia, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy on February 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
George Washington University professor Jonathan Turley said it best yesterday on Keith Olbermann regarding the British Public Inquiry into the Iraq War that recently saw former Prime Minister Tony Blair extensively questioned: “The British have this quaint notion, don’t they, that their leaders should have to explain decisions that cost thousands of lives and billions [...]
Partnering Against Extremism
Posted in 9/11, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Fundamentalism, Iraq, islam, Israel, Middle East, Muslims, Osama, Pakistan, Radical, September 11, Taleban, Taliban, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged 9/11, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, America, Americans, islam, Israel, Middle East, Muslims, Pakistan, Palestine, Palestinians, Radical, South Asia, Taliban, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy on January 29, 2010 | 1 Comment »
In his Thursday column in the Washington Post David Ignatius highlights a new emphasis in U.S. counter-terror strategy : relying more on partner-nations around the world. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to cost us in lives, treasure, global reputation and standing, this makes sense. We should rely more on our partner governments in places [...]
“A Pakistan on the Verge of Greatness” ???
Posted in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, democracy, Fundamentalism, India, islam, Israel, Middle East, Muslims, Pakistan, Radical, South Asia, Taleban, Taliban, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, India, islam, Middle East, Muslims, nuclear, Pakistan, South Asia, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy on January 18, 2010 | 1 Comment »
One wonders exactly where Pakistani President Asif Zardari was when he first wrote the above headline for his Washington Post Op-Ed that appeared in the print edition this past Friday. (The Post subsequently changed the headline in the on-line version. Hmmm…). Perhaps Zardari was in his villa in Dubai or his chalet in Switzerland. Maybe [...]
Iran’s Mullahs Fall: The Day After
Posted in Afghanistan, Ahmadinejad, democracy, elections, Fundamentalism, Hamas, Hizbullah, India, Iran, Iraq, islam, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Mousavi, Muslims, nuclear weapon, Pakistan, Radical, Shia, terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, tagged Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mousavi, mullah, Muslims, nuclear, U.S. Foreign Policy on January 14, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
As Iran’s Summer of Outrage gives way to a sustained Winter of Discontent, those who predicted the protest movement would wither in the face of massive state repression are scrambling to re-evaluate. Brave Iranians have not backed down, despite rape, murder, torture, and, most recently, indications of targeted killings. On the contrary, the bravado of [...]
