A ceasefire between Syria’s government and rebel forces appeared, for a moment, to be on the horizon. But in reality it was nothing more than a mirage that evaporated over the weekend when dictator Bashar al-Assad’s government demanded concessions from the opposition who have been under unceasing attacks for the past year. The Guardian …
A delegation of officials from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood met with White House officials Wednesday, according to a White House spokesman who stated that “we have broadened our engagement to include new and emerging political parties and actors.” The Muslim Brotherhood, long banned in Egypt after it sought to assassinate Egypt’s …
As is frequently the case, petroleum futures markets are anxious about political instability in the Middle East. Of particular concern is the possibility that efforts to counter or eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapons capability will lead Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes about one-fifth of the world’s …
The group that claimed responsibility for a double-suicide bombing that killed 27 people in Syria is widely regarded as a front organization for al-Qaeda in Syria. The Al-Nusra Front to Protect the Levant, which claimed responsibilities for the attacks, bears all the marks of another bin Laden wannabe group. The …
Iran continues to make steady progress in stockpiling supplies of increasingly highly enriched uranium far above the quantities that it needs for its civilian nuclear program. Yet the Obama Administration maintains that Tehran has not yet decided whether to build a nuclear weapon. This despite the fact that Iran continues …
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib yesterday and expressed optimism about Libya’s future. But Libya faces major problems in making the difficult transition to a stable democracy. Libya’s “Arab Spring,” which appeared to have a bright future after the fall of Muammar Qadhafi’s dictatorship …
Senator John McCain (R–AZ) yesterday called for a U.S. military intervention in Syria that would include air strikes on Syrian government forces to protect the Syrian people. McCain said that “Providing military assistance to the Free Syrian Army and other opposition groups is necessary, but at this late hour, that …
Three years ago, President Barack Obama set forth to recast American foreign policy in an image of his own design. It was one in which the White House engaged with enemies and undercut allies, apologized for American exceptionalism, and favored the “soft power” of treaties and international organizations. This “Obama …