Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's suggestion that the end of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq is part of a U.S. military success story ignores the fact that the George W. Bush administration and the U.S. military had planned to maintain a semi-permanent military...
With Friends Like Gingrich, Does Israel Need Enemies?
My God, what a bizarre lot these Republican aspirants for the US presidency are! What a sorry bunch of ignoramuses and downright crazies. Or, at best, what a bunch of cheats and cynics! (With the possible exception of the good doctor Ron Paul). Is this the best a...
Embassy Controversy Overshadows Handover of Last US Base To Iraq
Fighting Settlers’ Impunity and Immunity
JERUSALEM - The outer stone walls of the unused 12th century Ayyubid mosque in the Israeli center of the city carried the black scars of attempted arson and hatred. "Price tag", the signature read. "Price tag" attacks are perpetrated by vengeful...
And Was the Mission Accomplished?
Rise of Empire
Author’s note: I’m in the middle of moving, so I won’t be writing this week. I needed a break anyway. I’ll be back on Monday, December 18. In the meantime, this space will feature some past articles of note. Back when the Cold War was new, the great American newspaper...
Iran Hedges Its Bets on Syria
Iran is courting the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seeking to maintain a crucial alliance in the event that Assad falls. So far, Iranian officials have met at least twice with members of the National Coordinating Committee (NCC). The Damascus-based...
Iraq War Formally Ends, But Violence Continues
The Inevitable War With Iran
One might regard the pledges made to Israel and its friends in the United States by aspiring presidential candidates as pro forma and vaguely amusing, but that would be a mistake. Policy commitments, even if they are lightly entered into, are a serious matter with...
Iraq Switches Allegiance to US Weapons Systems
As the United States withdraws the last of its 50,000 troops after a nearly nine-year military occupation of Iraq, visiting Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki had one final request: billions of dollars' worth of U.S. weapons for his ragtag armed forces. A longstanding...