Government Shutdown 2013 Ends: Hey, Washington — The Whole World Was Watching

Posted on

The deal that re-opened America’s government and averted a national default should evoke little cheer, for the Washington spectacle of recent weeks has hurt America’s image and influence around the world. The impacts to date are serious enough. They include a Chinese call to “de-Americanize” the world’s economy to lessen its dependence on the U.S. …

Continue reading “Government Shutdown 2013 Ends: Hey, Washington — The Whole World Was Watching”

Relax, America – we’ve been here before

Posted on

With all eyes in Washington focused on the government shutdown and possible default, policymakers and pundits may have missed what’s potentially the most consequential story of late – a Washington Post piece that catalogues the growing backlash against Tea Party Republicans in districts across the country. In West Michigan, business leaders are recruiting a primary …

Continue reading “Relax, America – we’ve been here before”

Rouhani’s Charm Offensive Already Paying Off For Tehran

Posted on

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s charm offensive has already changed the global dynamics over Iran’s nuclear pursuit to Tehran’s advantage, with the West easing its pressure and Israel now positioned as a stubborn outlier. Also to Tehran’s benefit, Rouhani’s efforts have opened a clearer fissure between Washington and Jerusalem. Not only is U.S. President Barack Obama …

Continue reading “Rouhani’s Charm Offensive Already Paying Off For Tehran”

Russia, rotting from within, faces bleak future

Posted on

In his high-profile effort to “reset” U.S.-Russian relations, President Obama has sought not only to assuage Moscow’s concerns on issues like missile defense to win its cooperation on other U.S. priorities. He has gone out of his way to ratify Russia’s role as a great power, even letting Moscow reassert itself in the Middle East …

Continue reading “Russia, rotting from within, faces bleak future”

Iran Likely Seeking to Exploit U.S. Weakness Over Syria

Posted on

With U.S. attention no longer focused on Syria, Washington is now preparing to fill itself with more misguided hope that Iran finally wants a deal with the West over its controversial nuclear program. In the public sphere, the issue of Iran’s nukes is taking center stage as that of Syria’s chemical weapons recedes into the …

Continue reading “Iran Likely Seeking to Exploit U.S. Weakness Over Syria”

New proposal for Syrian chemical weapons won’t produce anything good

Posted on

The growing focus, at home and abroad, on a proposal under which Bashar al-Assad would subject his chemical weapons to international control seems an all-too-fitting next step in the clumsy U.S. effort to punish the Syrian strongman for using those weapons against his own people, killing more than 1,400 of them in late August. The …

Continue reading “New proposal for Syrian chemical weapons won’t produce anything good”

U.S. Credibility Already In Tatters Over Syria

Posted on

The congressional debate over whether to support President Barack Obama’s call for military action against Syria will revolve around the issue of “U.S. credibility,” but here’s the sobering fact: U.S. credibility around the world has already taken a huge hit due to White House actions of recent weeks. Each day seems to add another wrinkle …

Continue reading “U.S. Credibility Already In Tatters Over Syria”