Weekly Briefing – February 16-20, 2015 – American Center for Democracy

“If Only Germany Had Solved Its Unemployment Problem in 1933, Germans Wouldn’t Have Become Nazis…Er, Maybe not.” – David P. Goldman (Sprengler)

Denmark’s Compromised “Values” – Rachel Ehrenfeld – The Danes should have known better, but they continue to ignore the writings on the wall. Instead, they have compromised their “values” and in the name of “tolerance” suppressed free expression.…the cowardly public apology by the Danish daily Politiken, for reprinting the Mohammed cartoons in 2008… Earlier its publishers told this author that free expression was not the optimal approach to a potentially expensive suit….more…

Drones in the U.S. National Airspace System – Rachel Ehrenfeld – Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed rules on drones (unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)….While the list of the proposed rules sounds reasonable, how would the Agency manage to enforce them of hundreds of thousands different size drones? …there are no limitation on what the drones can and cannot carry. How about carrying payloads such jamming devise that can parallelize the areas in which they fly? More about Drones in the U.S. National Airspace System: A Safety and Security Assessment, by Major Stephen Maddox & Captain David Stuckenberg. Here are excerpts from the forthcoming HARVARD LAW NATIONAL SECURITY JOURNAL:…more…

Beware of Innocent-Sounding NGOs! – Norman A. Bailey – Ostensibly benign, independent NGOs are effective propaganda tools for those with the means – such as Qatar,Russia…and George Soros. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are becoming ever more significant on the international scene… Recently, however, a more serious charge is being leveled at some of these NGOs–namely, that their activities on behalf of certain causes are bought and paid for by interested parties. Martin Indyk, former U.S. negotiator for the still-born Israeli-Palestinian “peace process” in the Obama Administration, was forced to resign when it was revealed that his organization, the highly-respected and -influential Brooking Institution, had received very significant funding from the government of Qatar.…more…

The Invisible Hand Behind The Coup in Yemen – Samuel Abady and Omar Fohihi – Over the last three years, media pundits accurately described Yemen as perched on the brink of chaos. No more. Now it has fallen off the cliff. The key question is how this happened. The short answer is corruption—deep-seated, pervasive corruption at the very heart of Yemen’s government, made possible by Yemen’s power structure, something naïve Westerners too often overlook or fail to understand. Yemen’s Dual Power Structure – Traditionally, power was exercised and distributed in Yemen via an informal patronage system run by tribal chiefs and regional leaders.1…more…

Why a Possible Demise of Pax Americana? – Sol W. Sanders -…A millennium from now, if and when, the sway of the U.S. as the world’s hegemonic power is viewed in retrospect and the mystery of its relatively short history is reviewed, historians may well look for reasons. No doubt as in the past, it will be ascribed to a growing inability of leadership. But then, that is tautological, bad leadership is based leadership, but why? There are too many unknowns, of course, at this moment. But it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibilities that their answer then will be that polling of public opinion (as a substitute for decision-making by the leaders) and instantaneous communications permitting local intervention (instead of indirect representative government) were what did in the most powerful governmental structure the world has ever seen..…more…

News & Analysis

Another Obama Collision With the Constitution; His proposed authorization for use of military force might do lasting damage to the separation of powers – Michael B. Mukasey And David B. Rivkin Jr.

FCC/FTC Commissioners: ‘The Internet Isn’t Broken, And We Don’t Need The President’s Plan To ‘Fix’ It’ – Giuseppe Macri

Dictators Love the FCC’s Plan to Regulate the Internet. The Obama administration’s efforts to treat the Web like a utility has fans from Saudi Arabia to Putin’s Kremlin – Robert McDowell, Gordon Goldstein

Commercial drones, The tethers loosen- America’s new rules for drones will keep some businesses grounded – The Economist

Iran’s Peace Letter from a Poison Pen – Eli Lake,

What Does a One Year “Breakout” Really Mean? – Iran Watch

From The Mediterranean to the Golan, Iran Builds Active Front And Direct Military Presence On Israel’s Border To Deter Israel And Further Ideology Of Eliminating The Zionist Regime – MEMRI
Inspectors Say Iran Is Evading Questions as Nuclear Talks Enter a Crucial Stage – NYT

Victims of 1983 Beirut Bombing Lose Bid to Seize Iran Assets – BloombergBusiness

Caliphatalism? An Iraqi exile eavesdrops on life in her old hometown of Mosul. – Rasha al Aqeedi

Jihadi terror and Muslim criminality are the same thing – David P. Goldman (Sprengler)

What ISIS Really Wants – Graeme Wood