Last year, Egyptians overthrew the Mubarak regime in the name of freedom and democracy. Yet, the transitional government’s recent taking of hostages—foreign nongovernmental staff—reveals that authoritarian tendencies remain a major problem. On Monday, Egypt’s public prosecutor published a list of 43 workers, including 19 Americans, who will be put on trial for violating foreign funding laws. Egypt’s interim government claims that the foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) illegally funded political groups in Egypt’s parliamentary election. The NGOs insist that they provided Egyptians with only technical assistance to help them take part …
On Wednesday, the United States took the most aggressive military action in Somalia since the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Three months ago, two foreign aid workers were kidnapped by a band of Somali criminals. After failed ransom negotiations and as one of the American hostages, Jessica Buchanan, was suffering deteriorating health conditions, President Obama on January 23 authorized a daring rescue mission. It was carried out with brilliant efficiency by Navy SEAL Team Six. In the carefully orchestrated operation, the SEALs safely whisked Buchanan and her Danish colleague Poul …
An Iranian court handed down a death sentence yesterday for Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, a 28-year-old Iranian–American man, for allegedly spying for the CIA. Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq as an Arabic language translator, was born in Arizona, raised in Michigan, and traveled to Iran to visit his grandmother. The U.S. State Department has denied that he is a spy, accused Iran of once again pressing false charges against an American citizen, and called for his release. Hekmati’s parents said that they were “shocked and terrified” by …
On Saturday, an Iranian court sentenced two innocent American hikers to eight years in jail for allegedly straying across the Iran–Iraq border two years ago. The politicized verdict once again underscores the Islamist regime’s twisted sense of “justice,” which is meted out against Iranians as well as foreigners to advance the interests of a ruthlessly brutal regime. The show trial of the hiker/hostages is one more slap in the face of the Obama Administration, whose eager rush to engage Tehran has produced no tangible results. The two American hikers, Shane …
The Obama Administration has failed to budge the Islamist dictatorship in Tehran on a wide variety of issues, after one year in office. Iran has made a mockery of the Obama Administration’s engagement effort. It not only has rejected any compromise on the nuclear issue but it stubbornly resists moderating its hostile foreign policy as well. To its dismay, the Obama administration has discovered that apologies and professions of good intentions are not enough to sway the ruthless regime in Tehran. Iran remains the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism …
Last week Heritage scholar James Carafano wrote: It is not hard to craft comparisons between Jimmy Carter and the current occupant of the Oval Office. Both entered office with high expectations; both vowed to change the tone in Washington and remake the world. Carter had a terrible sophomore slump. America’s enemies took stock of his foreign policy in his first year in office. The next year they exploited the weaknesses they found. His presidency never recovered. Obama may also be setting himself up for the fall. This week, the Associated …
