Last week was a dubious one for the world’s most advanced militaries. In the U.S., Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testified before the House Armed Service Committee on October 13, saying that any further cuts to defense will hollow out the force and risk national security. Meanwhile, in Israel, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned on October 10 against current defense cuts to the Israel Defense Force, saying that Israel’s missile defense system (Iron Dome) would be slowed and one-third of the Israel Air Force and 20 percent of its Merkava tanks …
As President Mahmoud Abbas presented his bid for a Palestinian state after his address to the U.N. General Assembly last Friday, members of the Palestinian Authority warned that “US President Barack Obama will be held responsible for the failure of the Middle East peace process.” Of the 15 member states of the Security Council, Abbas would need to garner nine. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported September 20 that Abbas had secured six to seven votes. The repercussions of a U.S. veto would negatively affect the Obama Administration—not only in the …
