The U.S.-led six-month agreement with Iran over its nuclear program reflects not just Washington’s limited aspirations for its relations with Tehran but also its affinity for the regional status quo over possible change. Throw in its policy toward Syria both before and after the start of its horrific civil war, and we see an administration …
Continue reading “Obama’s Narrow Focus On Iran’s Nukes Misses The Larger Point”
The six-month deal between U.S.-led negotiators and Iran will make an Iranian atomic bomb more likely, not less, because it significantly strengthens the very regime in Tehran that so desperately wants nuclear weaponry. In essence, the agreement undercuts the premise on which years of mounting economic and financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic had rested …
Continue reading “Temporary deal makes an Iranian nuclear weapon more likely”
The U.N. General Assembly’s selection this week of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Vietnam, and Algeria to its Human Rights Council further tarnishes the U.N.’s reputation and reinforces the Council’s status as a laughingstock on human rights. Moving forward, the Council surely will follow its well-worn path – ignoring the brutal human rights violations of …
Continue reading “U.N.’s Human Rights Council Shames Itself Further, If That’s Possible”
Peace – true peace – is more than the absence of war, more than a temporary respite from continual conflict. True peace rests on trust between parties, and it’s rooted in on-the-ground conditions that ensure its viability. That’s true whether one side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in this case Israel, has deep-seated ties to the …
Continue reading “Strong US ties to Israel are the key to a lasting peace in Palestine”
The casual observer of recent Middle East activities might as easily conclude that Washington and Tehran are gearing for war, rather than – perhaps – angling for an agreement over Iran’s nuclear program. The United States will participate in a two-week, Israeli-led military exercise this month with more than 100 aircraft and about 1,000 pilots …
Continue reading “U.S., Iran have to sell a deal, not just reach one”
The New York Times didn’t know or didn’t care that one of its new high-profile “contributing opinion writers” has long displayed a relentless hostility to Israel and posited startling conspiracy theories about “Zionist” power. The revelations about the best-selling Egyptian novelist and activist Alaa Al Aswany, as highlighted in news reports of recent days, raise …
Continue reading “Alaa Al Aswany: The Grey Lady’s Troubling New Columnist”
The startlingly open breach of recent days between the United States and its once-solid allies in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere in the Middle East reflects region-wide concerns not only about President Obama’s current policy path but, more broadly, about what they regard as his sinking credibility and rising naivety. The breach is rooted less …
Continue reading “America’s allies are drifting thanks to Obama”