How’s that Russia “reset” going? Not so well, as the news this week shows. In addition to blocking tougher sanctions on Iran for its illicit nuclear weapons activities after a damaging report by the U.N.’s watchdog, Russia is “studying” building more reactors at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. Recently, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R–OH) blasted the Administration’s “reset” policy with Russia, saying: “Over the last two and a half years,” Russia “has been the beneficiary of American outreach and engagement. [Yet it] has continued to expand its physical, …
As the Obama Administration has discovered, containing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and support for terrorism and insurgencies requires more than Washington’s willingness to “extend [its] hand.” As Heritage’s Kim Holmes points out, Iran’s foiled plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador on U.S. soil illustrates that Iran’s leaders don’t fear Barack Obama or the “isolation” his Administration promises. The plot also highlights the disturbing consequences of Obama’s “good cop/confused cop” strategy on Iran. While the Obama Administration continues to maintain that all options remain on the table, Washington’s public downplay of the …
The United States is scrambling to avoid a diplomatic crisis at the U.N. over a Palestinian statehood vote and a promised U.S. veto. As other countries try to find a way to defuse the crisis, Palestinian officials asked for U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood yesterday. How did it come to this? Heritage’s Kim Holmes contends that this is what happens when a U.S. President makes American leadership secondary to international consensus. President Obama and his Administration have sent out confusing messages about U.S. policy in the Middle East. In his …
