Middle East
-
Economy
Syria: Update on maritime matters
In a destabilizing region, the hits will come from all sides. Egyptian authorities are confirming reports that terrorists with RPGs…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Syria: Now, the run-up to whatever ‘it’ will or won’t be
What the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has voted to authorize is a military operation not to exceed 90 days in…
Read More » -
National Security
Yes, I think Assad did it
I’ve been hearing about an analysis from Yossef Bodansky, reportedly alluded to by Rush Limbaugh today, in which Bodansky suggests…
Read More » -
Economy
Rock, hard place, Syria
Through his latest action, calling for a vote of Congress on a strike against the Assad regime – but not…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
The unbearable passivity of triangulated policies that require 'slam dunk' intelligence
It’s a percussion symphony out there. The drumbeat of stalwart European readiness to strike Syria has become unsteady – boy,…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Britain taking lead on Syria?
One of these days, the mainstream media will catch up with reality and start reporting things as they are. In…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Obama on Syria: Low-quality 'jaw-jaw'
It being the silly season in Washington, there had to be a rumor of war. Well, a rumor of a…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Egypt: This is big
One way to gauge the import of the conflict erupting in Egypt is by looking at the character of media…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
A unified theory of Benghazi
There are several threads that converge in the emerging drama of the Benghazi attack on 9/11/2012. One relates to the…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
'Moderate' Rouhani misled West; sneaked in centrifuges?
There is a particularly interesting aspect to the video that has recently surfaced, in which Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani,…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
-
Foreign Affairs
Morsi down, Saudis up in battle for Syria
Mohammed Morsi’s call for holy war in Syria spooked the Egyptian military, and it alarmed the Saudis too. I suspect…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
It’s on: Muslim Brotherhood influence rejected in two nations
It’s a little early to predict the exact outcome of the Morsi-military smackdown underway in Egypt. (Update as this goes…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Egyptian crisis: It’s the 'holy war,' stupid
It took a couple of weeks for the crisis to come to a head. But the origins of the Morsi…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Latest reports: Israel has now attacked a facility in Syria
Wars and rumors of wars… OK, let’s sort this out, at least until the next update. (This is how intelligence…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Syria: Israel, at least, is militarily ready
Several websites have picked up on a UPI report that the Israeli Air Force attacked a chemical weapons site in…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Just a reminder: Military readiness affects the viability of Syria operations too
After U.S. officials agreed last week that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons on its people, politicians and pundits…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
State of unreadiness
My colleague Timothy Whiteman highlighted last Thursday the number of Air Force squadrons that will have to cease training later…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Observations on Obama’s trip to Israel: Apologies (Part 1)
Obama went to Israel, and, as expected, gave some bland speeches and didn’t suggest putting anything new on the table…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Obama in Palestine
It will be interesting to watch the media reports of President Barack Obama’s upcoming trip to Israel and the Palestinian…
Read More » -
Media
Oops – The IDF didn’t kill Baby Mashrawi (and other things that didn’t happen during Pillar of Defense)
Not killed by the IDF (AP Photo) [Warning: graphic images] Diligent readers of the Washington Post may know by now…
Read More » -
Economy
Dead in the water: Obama’s military and the Iran nuclear threat
Two to three years ago, the United States Department of Defense had enough military forces on station in, or readily…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Who do you believe?
In a January 8 letter sent to Congressman Inhofe, the State Department explained its decision to allow the transfer of…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
We must be nuts
For reasons I have great difficulty understanding, U.S. policy has supported the rise to power of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Promising the good life in Syria
In case you missed it, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke in Dublin on December 3 about the need to…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Maybe gun control is a good idea after all
Yes, like many of you, I don’t really want to abandon the Second Amendment. But just think about it for…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
The dog that didn't bark
One of the many mysteries still swirling around the September 11 attack in Benghazi is why the U.S. government seems…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
There’s a new Pharoah in town
Eyes on the ball, folks. In strategic terms, the most important thing that has happened in the last 10 days…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
The Palestinians’ self-perpetuating nightmare
The presumed “imminent” ceasefire in Gaza is imminent no longer. According to The Guardian, negotiations collapsed at the eleventh hour last…
Read More » -
Foreign Affairs
Gaza: Least likely place to use US Marines to rescue American citizens?
Why are we sending an amphibious readiness group (ARG) with a Marine expeditionary unit (MEU) embarked to sit off the…
Read More »
