Even the most dogged defenders of Pres. Barack Obama’s “deal” with Iran will admit that the U.S. had to make concessions to achieve it. The extent of those concessions and their implications are certainly more than debatable. True enough, in any … [Read more...] about The Mystery of Obama’s Iran*
Arabian Peninsula
Counterterror Pretense with Undesirable Consequences
Divorced from reality, the Obama administration insists "nobody can claim justifiably that the United States hasn’t had success against terrorist networks." State Department spokesperson Rear Admiral John Kirby announced in a press briefing on July … [Read more...] about Counterterror Pretense with Undesirable Consequences
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
As always, there is no lack of events, people and developments to write about. The problem is to choose. Among other good news is that U.S.-Israel defense cooperation continues unabated, with a good allocation of funds on the U.S. part for joint … [Read more...] about The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Iran Deal Through an (Oil) Glass Darkly
The profit margins Big Oil requires are no longer to be made in Saudi Arabia but in Iran and Iraq. Once the US concludes a nuclear deal with Iran, Big Oil will see to it that it sticks, and Washington can turn its attention to the true cause of … [Read more...] about The Iran Deal Through an (Oil) Glass Darkly
ISIS Global Advances (March 26 – April 1, 2015)*
Left: ISIS in Yarmouk, the Palestinian refugee camp south of Damscus While the United States and its allies claim their air campaigns are successfully eroding the Islamic State expansion, ISIS took over the Yarmouk refugee camp, home to 18,000 … [Read more...] about ISIS Global Advances (March 26 – April 1, 2015)*
Can Saudi Arabia Form a United Sunni Front?
Left: Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (r) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Riyadh, March 2, 2015; picture provided by the Saudi Press Agency; AFP Photo/SPA/HO The attempt to establish a Sunni pact against the background of the … [Read more...] about Can Saudi Arabia Form a United Sunni Front?
Libya 2011: The Decisive Year
Left: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton learned about the death of Muammar Gaddafi via an SMS message. Clinton was staying in Kabul when she learned the news. The moment, when she was given a cell phone, was filmed by CBS NEWS as Clinton was … [Read more...] about Libya 2011: The Decisive Year
Weekly Briefing – March 22-27, 2015
Credit: Office of the Supreme Leader Iran: Why? - Sol Sanders - Why is one of the world’s poorest countries [40% living in poverty, halfway down on list of countries in per capita GDP] building capital-intensive nuclear power facilities? Iran has … [Read more...] about Weekly Briefing – March 22-27, 2015
Iran as a Nuclear Threshold State: Implications for Israel and the Middle East
While an arrangement that leaves Iran as a nuclear threshold state may be the lesser of all evils for the United States, it can be expected to be very bad for Israel. A signed agreement of this sort will widen the existing disputes between the … [Read more...] about Iran as a Nuclear Threshold State: Implications for Israel and the Middle East
The Egyptian Bet
Any hope for an exit from the current Middle East chaos lies with the efforts of Gen. Pres. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to stabilize its politics and rebuild the Egyptian economy. With its 90 million people and traditional role as the intellectual leader … [Read more...] about The Egyptian Bet