It’s said you can discern a man’s character by who his friends are, which may or may not be true, but in my view there’s a much more reliable way to gauge what someone’s all about: by who his enemies are. In Chuck Hagel‘s case, it tells the whole story. Who are Hagel’s enemies? Here’s …
Continue reading “The Hagel Haters”
At least nine Iraqis were killed and 12 more were wounded in new attacks.
A UN investigation into the legality and casualties of drone strikes has been formally launched, with a leading human rights lawyer revealing the team that will carry out the inquiry. The announcement came as the latest reported US drone strike in Yemen was said to have mistakenly killed two children. Ben Emmerson QC, the UN’s …
Continue reading “UN launches major investigation into civilian drone deaths”
Abraham Lincoln referred to the "terrible arithmetic" that it would take for the Union to win the civil war, meaning that the greater number of soldiers supported by the more advanced economy would eventually wear the Confederates down, though at great cost in human life. As recently as the Second World War and Korea, armies …
Continue reading “War on Terror in Mali”
Tuz Khormato was the scene of a massive attack that left dozens dead and wounded at a Shi’ite funeral. It was the only major attack today, and the source of most of Wednesday’s casualties. Overall, at least 51 people were killed and 98 more were wounded across the country.
At least 33 people were killed and 77 more were wounded in new violence. The three bloodiest attacks occurred in and around Baghdad.
John Kerry and Chuck Hagel–two of the best mainstream nominees that President Obama could have selected for Secretaries of State and Defense, respectively–will soon face Senate confirmation. With these nominees, hopefully Obama is signaling a veering away from interventionism to a long overdue, restrained foreign policy. During the first term, to his credit, Obama ended …
Continue reading “Foreign Policy and Defense in a Second Term”
The Israeli elections delivered a blow to the conventional wisdom, always a welcome development: although widely expected to lurch rightward, Israeli voters surprised everyone by moving toward the center – and even giving a bit of a boost to what passes for the Israeli "left." While returns are still coming in as of this writing, …
Continue reading “Bibi’s Choice”
Once upon a time, former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping suggested that Asia’s Pacific powers and wannabes should “put aside differences and jointly develop resources.” That was, of course, when China itself was still something of a wannabe and no one was talking about it becoming the world’s largest economy. Now, it’s the rising power on …
Continue reading “Will the Next War Be in Asia?”
At least 18 Iraqis were killed and 19 more were wounded. Security forces killed nine al-Qaeda suspects and arrested 10 more in Salah ad Din province. In Mosul, gunmen killed two policemen and wounded a third one. A shopkeeper was gunned down. A bomb wounded three policemen. Gunmen killed a non-commissioned officer. Gunmen killed a …
Continue reading “Iraq: 18 Killed, Including al-Qaeda Suspects” 
