One of the many reasons we commemorate the catastrophic death of Abraham Lincoln 150 years ago is to celebrate his incredible style, his ability in a few words to sum up the essence of our hopes and fears at a moment of crisis. What makes it all the … [Read more...] about An Era of Blah Blah Blah
U.S.
The Cuban fiasco*
In that simplistic jargon characterizing Pres. Barack Hussein Obama’s worldwide “transformation” of U.S. foreign policy, the chief argument for his Cuban shift has been “[T]hese 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked.” In the facts of … [Read more...] about The Cuban fiasco*
Iran’s Nuclear Framework: Insights and Recommendations*
President Barack Obama speaks the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, April 2, 2015, about the breakthrough in the Iranian nuclear talks. The president heralded a framework nuclear understanding with Iran as an "historic" … [Read more...] about Iran’s Nuclear Framework: Insights and Recommendations*
Syria-ISIS “Pragmatic Cooperation”
Left: Oil fields in Syria and Iraq, in areas controlled by ISIS (islamist-movements.com) Overview One of the interesting phenomena of the civil war in Syria is the tacit understandings between two sworn enemies: the Assad regime and the terrorist … [Read more...] about Syria-ISIS “Pragmatic Cooperation”
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)*
Financial Chinoiserie
A most peculiar crisis is developing for the Chinese economy – and, indeed, for the regime -- while the world’s attention is riveted on the chaos and terror in the Mideast and Russian aggression in Ukraine. Not the smallest element is the clever … [Read more...] about Financial Chinoiserie
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 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