One of the many anomalies of Pres. Barack Hussein Obama’s collapsing foreign policy is Washington’s growing rift with Israel, despite the two countries’ historically intimate ties at every level. Obama’s fundamental antagonism toward Israel was … [Read more...] about Putting the squeeze on Israel
Middle East Conflicts
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
ISIS’ Balkan Networks
Left: Albanians Fighting for ISIS earn $65/day, come from Middle Class Families The appearance of ISIS flags flying over a Bosnian village a few weeks ago made headlines across Europe.[1] Last week’s discovery of a plot involving four Bosnian … [Read more...] about ISIS’ Balkan Networks
ISIS Updates Security Tips to Operatives Traveling to Syria*
Left: An example of the recommendations in the manual: operatives are advised to pose as tourists and refrain from declaring that the purpose of their trip is to “Commit Jihad in Syria” Overview 1. In February 2015, ISIS published a fifty-page … [Read more...] about ISIS Updates Security Tips to Operatives Traveling to Syria*
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
Weekly Briefing – March 16-20, 2015
“Anti-Semitism is a Huge Menace” – The Netherlands Chief Rabbi - Emerson Vermaat, Exclusive to ACD - “The growing wave of anti-Semitism in Holland forces Jews to be careful and hide any symbol that would give away their identity.” “I don’t think … [Read more...] about Weekly Briefing – March 16-20, 2015
Israel, Hamas and Hizbollah on a Collision Course: Undesirable yet Inevitable
Left: Hamas leader Kaled Mashal with Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's 3rd Secretary General. At the start of 2015, Israel’s two major fronts – home to the two hostile players with which Israel has had military encounters in recent months – were calm. … [Read more...] about Israel, Hamas and Hizbollah on a Collision Course: Undesirable yet Inevitable
Can America’s Energy Revolution Survive The Iran Deal?
There is no lack of voices warning against the dangerous implications of the nuclear agreement the Obama Administration is advancing with Iran. The opposition has mostly focused on the destabilizing geopolitical impact of a nuclear Iran and what it … [Read more...] about Can America’s Energy Revolution Survive The Iran Deal?