Month: June 2013

Rarely has any American provoked such fury in Washington’s high places. So far, Edward Snowden has outsmarted the smartest guys in the echo chamber – and he has proceeded with the kind of moral clarity that U.S. officials seem to find unfathomable. Bipartisan condemnations of Snowden are escalating from Capitol Hill and the Obama administration. … Continue reading “The Pursuit of Edward Snowden: Washington in a Rage, Striving to Run the World”

Shi’ite Muslims marked Shabaniya, the anniversary of the birth of Imam Mehdi, today, making Shi’ite neighborhoods in Baghdad obvious targets. Overall, at least 47 people were killed today, and another 81 were wounded.

Last week the Taliban opened an office in Doha, Qatar with the US government’s blessing. They raised the Taliban flag at the opening ceremony and referred to Afghanistan as the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" – the name they used when they were in charge before the US attack in 2001. The US had meant for … Continue reading “What We Have Learned From Afghanistan”

Edward Snowden’s hegira – from the beaches of Hawaii to the teeming metropolis of Hong Kong, and then on to Russia and ultimately Ecuador (as of this writing) – dramatizes the decline and fall of the American republic in ways historians will look back on as emblematic of our era. As a lone individual makes … Continue reading “Edward Snowden, A Modern Paul Revere”

According to a Ba’ath Party statement, one of Saddam Hussein’s executioners was among the 43 latest reported casualties.

At least 55 people were killed and 69 more were wounded across the country. Two Syrian militants were killed during a border clash with Iraqi security forces. Most of the attacks against civilians and local police occurred north of Baghdad, while clashes that killed gunmen and military forces took place to the east and west.

Hassan Rouhani, a moderate cleric, was elected Iran’s president in a landslide on June 14, 2013. Much has been said about him and his past, and what his election means for Iran, its nuclear program and the standoff with the West over the program, and the future of the Middle East. The War party in … Continue reading “How Will Washington Respond to the Iranian People’s Aspirations?”

At least 14 Iraqis were killed and 34 more were wounded in the lastest violence.

On U.S. military intervention in Syria’s civil war, where “both sides are slaughtering each other as they scream over an arbitrary red line ‘Allahu akbar’ … I say let Allah sort it out.” So said Sarah Palin to the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference. And, as is not infrequently the case, she nailed it. Hours … Continue reading “Let Allah Sort It Out”

On a visit to Washington a couple of months ago, I was surprised to discover Politico has a dead-tree edition: there it was at the local Starbucks alongside the Washington Post and the New York Times, right next to the double-chocolate scones. As assorted government workers, policy wonks, and aspiring demagogues waited patiently in line … Continue reading “Why the Washington Elite Hates Edward Snowden”