Although it remains to be seen whether Iran’s latest diplomatic ploy, assisted by Turkey and Brazil, will actually lead to any lasting agreement on a nuclear fuel swap, Tehran’s recent behavior teaches several lessons, according to Patrick Clawson, a leading Iran expert based at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. First, Iran reacts to international pressure but not so much to inducements. Iran’s resurrection of a mutated October deal that it previously had rejected undoubtedly was triggered by the imminent passage of a fourth U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution. …
In his speech before a Joint Session of Congress yesterday, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico made a bold claim. He asserted that: Just to give you an idea, we have seized 75,000 guns and assault weapons in Mexico in the last three years. And more than 80 percent of those we have been able to trace came from the United States — from the United States. The media immediately picked up on this claim. As Reuters summarized the President’s remarks: [He] said more than 80 percent of [the guns] came …
The names of war do not matter all that much. After all we won the Cold War even though it sounded like a battle against hypothermia. Some wars don’t even get named until after the fact…like the 30 Years war (which was actually longer than 30 years). Renaming a war does matter, however, when the act of naming becomes an act in advertising to disguise a really bad strategy. The Atlantic‘s Marc Ambinder notes “If you blinked, you might have missed it. The Obama administration has unofficially rebranded “war on …
It isn’t easy being Arizona these days, especially when President Barack Obama puts politics before Americans’ interests, a foreign head of state before the United States, and an agenda of apology before much-needed, sensible reforms. But that’s just what happened this week when Mexican President Felipe Calderon visited Washington, DC. President Obama extended a warm hand to Calderon and demagogued Arizona’s illegal immigration law all in the name of politics. Standing in the White House Rose Garden with Calderon, President Obama took the unprecedented step of publicly siding with Mexico …
It is being widely reported that the Director of National Intelligence has resigned. Much of the speculation over the resignation revolves around his role in directing counterterrorism operations. Regardless, of this speculation the conduct of global counterterrorism operations by the Obama administration is a legitimate concern. Thirty-one terrorist plots have been foiled since 9/11—two out of the last three in this administration have been by shear luck. The White House continues to deemphasize the threat of Islamist terrorism and the Long War against al Qaeda. It has also failed to …
Washington’s ability to manage multiple challenges continues to be tested in the Western Hemisphere, where Venezuela’s anti-American leader Hugo Chavez is working to destabilize the region and support international terrorist organizations. The Washington Post’s Juan Forero reported on May 20: Now, based on documents and witness testimony, Chávez is facing fresh accusations that his government has gone well beyond assisting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Documents seized from two subversive groups, along with information provided by former Colombian guerrillas, suggest that Venezuela facilitated training sessions here between …
Germany has taken the clear lead as the European sovereign debt crisis unfolds. This is an obvious outcome because of Germany’s relatively tight rein on government deficits and its policies that have made it Europe’s toughest competitor. Germany’s clear ascension is both good news and bad for Europe, and a clear warning to the United States. The most recent sign of the European shift in power was Germany’s unilateral decision to ban “naked short selling”, which is a form of speculation whereby one bets that an asset price would go …
The South Korean government has concluded that a North Korean torpedo caused the March 26th sinking of a South Korean naval ship, killing 46 sailors. South Korea and the US will now advocate a strong response to North Korean complicity in the sinking of the Cheonan but stop short of advocating a military retaliatory attack. Instead, Seoul will curtail – if not sever – economic engagement with the North, review its military posture, and augment naval forces and sensors along the Northern Limit Line. The Lee administration, in conjunction with …
We now have the second casualty of the Obama Administration from the New Black Panther voter intimidation case. Christian Adams, one of the career trial lawyers who worked on the case, submitted a letter of resignation on Friday, May 14 (effective June 4) apparently in disgust over “the events surrounding the dismissal” of the lawsuit, including testimony earlier that day by the Assistant Attorney General of Civil Rights, political appointee Thomas Perez, before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The first casualty was Chris Coates, the long-time career lawyer who led …
Today, 154 Republicans joined me on a letter to the President’s debt commission asking them to stand against a new value-added tax, or VAT. I’m proud to see our Conference unite against a tax that’s being pushed by Paul Volcker, John Podesta, and Nancy Pelosi. The VAT is clearly a job killer. While in the last 20 years American businesses created 45 million jobs, the European economy only created 10 million. The healthcare bill moved us toward European levels of government, but now liberals want European taxes to pay for …
