After more than three years of downplaying the military option, the Obama Administration has shifted gears and become more hawkish on the Iran nuclear issue in recent weeks. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, in Israel on a Middle East tour, on Wednesday called for international leaders to keep “maximum pressure” …
President Obama reportedly has signed an intelligence finding that authorizes U.S. support for Syrian rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship. It remains unclear what is included in this “covert” aid, publicized in what looks like another leak, or when the finding was signed. But the United States must …
The power struggle between Egypt’s army and the Muslim Brotherhood has been eclipsed by the intensifying civil war in Syria, but this week saw disturbing new developments in Egypt. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid a short visit to Cairo and Alexandria, where she was dogged by several anti-American demonstrations. …
The “Arab Spring” arrived in Damascus with a vengeance this week—despite the brutal repression meted out by the Assad regime. Today, the Syrian defense minister was assassinated in a suicide bombing at the national security headquarters building in the capital. CNN reported that the explosion was caused by a car …
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s embattled regime is moving chemical munitions out of storage depots. It remains unclear whether the regime is deploying these weapons in the field or is trying to keep them from falling into the hands of rebels, who have …
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was embarrassed at a recent U.N. conference in Rio de Janeiro by perceived snubs by leaders of host country Brazil and other nations. Iran’s blowhard president, who has trumpeted his own role in fostering closer Iranian ties to Latin America, found himself relegated to the sidelines …
According to Foreign Policy, the Palestinians intend to try again this fall for membership in the United Nations. Their effort last year was stymied by U.S. opposition. Under U.N. rules, prospective member states must first receive a recommendation from the Security Council. The U.S. has a veto in the Security …
Mohamed Morsi, the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, was announced on Sunday as the winner of Egypt’s first free presidential elections. Morsi defeated former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik in a close contest by a vote of 51.7 percent to 48.3 percent. Morsi now faces the difficult …
