The release of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program has everyone breathing a sigh of relief. According to our best intelligence, the Iranians stopped their weapons program in 2003. The liberal pundits and the more reasonable Sullivanesque conservatives are shouting "Hallelujah!" War has been averted! My response: not so fast. Before … Continue reading “No Iran Attack?
Don’t Be So Sure…”
Month: December 2007
No Iran Attack?
Trying to Dispel a Mist with a Machine Gun
Enter his small office at the Nation Institute only if you don’t mind experiencing a slightly vertiginous feeling. Books are everywhere – in boxes on the floor, on every surface, in, along, and perilously stacked above shelves. If you took a wrong step, you could at least imagine disappearing in a tsunami of tumbling books. … Continue reading “Trying to Dispel a Mist with a Machine Gun”
The Failure of Annapolis
Despite the best efforts by the Bush administration of putting a positive spin on the recently completed summit in Annapolis to restart the "Performance-Based Road Map to Peace," there is little reason to expect that it will actually move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process forward as long as the United States insists on simultaneously playing the … Continue reading “The Failure of Annapolis”
Tuesday: 1 US Soldier, 47 Iraqis Killed; 51 Iraqis Wounded
Updated at 1:00 a.m. EST, Dec. 5, 2007At least 47 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 51 more were wounded. Kidnappers holding five Britons are threatening to kill one of them in 10 days unless British troops withdraw from Iraq. Also, congressional investigators from the U.S. have noted that ongoing violence in Iraq continues … Continue reading “Tuesday: 1 US Soldier, 47 Iraqis Killed; 51 Iraqis Wounded”
A Miracle: Honest Intel
on Iran Nukes
For those who have doubts about miracles, a double one occurred today. An honest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran’s nuclear program has been issued, and its “Key Judgments” were made public. With redraft after redraft, it was what the Germans call eine schwere Geburt – a difficult birth, 10 months in gestation. I do … Continue reading “A Miracle: Honest Intel
on Iran Nukes”
on Iran Nukes”
The Tumult and the Shouting Dies…
“The tumult and the shouting dies / The captains and the kings depart…” Rudyard Kipling wrote in his unforgettable “Recessional." King George departed even before the tumult had died. His helicopter carried him away over the horizon, just as his trusty steed carries the cowboy into the sunset at the end of the movie. At … Continue reading “The Tumult and the Shouting Dies…”
The Anti-Iran Annapolis Conference
At the Annapolis Middle Eastern peace conference much more went on behind the scenes than took place before the cameras. The prearranged commitment of the Palestinians and Israelis to talk again was little enough gain from the one-day meeting, particularly as the agreement did not explicitly address any of the substantive issues that continue to … Continue reading “The Anti-Iran Annapolis Conference”
Backtalk, December 4, 2007
Interest Group Foreign Policy Doug Bandow writes that the recent controversy surrounding the recent Armenian genocide resolution (1) did not have any “conceivable relevance” to the U.S. government and (2) modern-day Turkey has nothing to do with the genocide perpetrated by the predecessor Ottoman Empire, and is unlikely to stage a “repeat performance.” One could … Continue reading “Backtalk, December 4, 2007”
Monday: 64 Iraqis Killed, 15 Wounded
Updated at 12:30 a.m. EST, Dec. 4, 2007At least 64 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 15 more were wounded in the latest round of violence. No Coalition casualties were reported. Also, a British report admitted that British troops were unable to make Basra safe. A British parliamentary report admitted that British troops failed … Continue reading “Monday: 64 Iraqis Killed, 15 Wounded”
Is Russia Democratic?
Russians cast their votes in parliamentary elections on Sunday, with an overwhelming victory widely expected for Vladimir Putin’s United Russia Party – and yet we already knew what we were supposed to think of the whole process, with Western governments and media outlets (or do I repeat myself?) having already decided the whole thing was … Continue reading “Is Russia Democratic?”