The current wave of populism sweeping the world isn’t necessarily ideological - as witness Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump. "He who can convince people to believe absurdities can convince them to commit atrocities." Voltaire. A new tide of … [Read more...] about What’s Driving The New Populism*
Refugees
Which Refugees to Accept?
President-Elect Donald Trump is right. Abdul Razak Ali Artan, the Somali refugee who went on a Palestinian-inspired jihad-rampage with a car and a knife, wounding 11 people at Ohio State University last Monday, “should not have been in our … [Read more...] about Which Refugees to Accept?
Obama’s Refugee Screening Default*
* The article was published in the American Thinker, on September 26, 2016. One hot-button issue in the first Presidential debate will be the Syrian and other refugees that are allowed into the country. The vetting process of asylum seekers for … [Read more...] about Obama’s Refugee Screening Default*
Obama’s Syrian Legacy*
It would be hard to exaggerate the mess in the Middle East that Pres. Barack Obama is leaving his successor. While the five-year Syrian civil war continues unabated, pitting different armed groups against each other with their foreign sponsors, … [Read more...] about Obama’s Syrian Legacy*
Misplaced Charity*
Pres. Barack Obama’s proposal for what would be a substantial new entry of Syrian refugees is a major miscalculation of traditional American morality and generosity. It is true that the 13.5 million Syrian refugees, half of them expelled or hounded … [Read more...] about Misplaced Charity*
Lessening Air Travel and Refugees’ Risks
Hiring more TSA agents may shorten the lines of passengers waiting to go through airport security, but this will do little to ensure they safely arrive at their destination. And shortcutting Syrian refugees vetting procedures from 12 or 18 months to … [Read more...] about Lessening Air Travel and Refugees’ Risks
The Syrian Threat to Israel*
Left: Map of Syrian Civil war/ Global conflict in Syria - liveuamap, February 22, 2016 There are more than two dozen state and non-state actors battling over the prostrate body of what used to be Syria, one of the artificial entities carved out in … [Read more...] about The Syrian Threat to Israel*
Misnavigating America
As if seven years of Obama’s efforts to diminish the world’s superpower were not enough, recent events in the Middle East highlight the need for American leadership capable of righting the ship. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s statement that the … [Read more...] about Misnavigating America
Europe’s Shame: Failing to Protect its Female Citizens
Left: New Year's Eve in Cologne. Witnesses spoke of at least 1,000 men, many of them of North African or Arab descent sexually molesting women at the main train station.Credit: Spiegel -- Videos of hundreds of “North African or Arabic” looking men … [Read more...] about Europe’s Shame: Failing to Protect its Female Citizens
A Century after Sykes-Picot: Strategic and Geopolitical Aspects*
"The instability and the uncertainty that characterize the current state of affairs is best exploited, as mentioned before, by the most prominent enemies from the Radical Islamic camp – both Iran and its surrogates and the Sunni Radicals." The … [Read more...] about A Century after Sykes-Picot: Strategic and Geopolitical Aspects*