I was desperately hoping to be wrong last week. I was delighted and surprised that I was indeed mistaken about President Obama being unlikely to pardon army whistleblower Chelsea Manning. My cynicism in the previous column was a challenge to the president, almost an...
Militants Execute Civilians in Mosul; 101 Killed Across Iraq
Obama’s Bombing Legacy
As President Obama leaves office, much of his foreign policy record remains shrouded in the symbolism that has been the hallmark of his presidency. The persistence of Obama’s image as a reluctant war-maker and a Nobel Peace Prize winner has allowed Donald Trump and...
A Parting Shot at Personal Freedom
On Jan. 3, outgoing Attorney General Loretta Lynch secretly signed an order directing the National Security Agency – America's 60,000-person-strong domestic spying apparatus – to make available raw spying data to all other federal intelligence agencies, which then can...
Operations Wrapping up in Eastern Mosul; 131 Killed in Iraq
A Demand for Russian ‘Hacking’ Proof
MEMORANDUM FOR: President Barack Obama FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) SUBJECT: A Key Issue That Still Needs to be Resolved As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take the oath of office Friday, a pall hangs over his upcoming presidency...
Trump the Disruptor
If the New York Times is to be believed – a problematic proposition – then it looks as if Trump Derangement Syndrome has gone international. In a front page article headlined “As Trump Era Dawns, A Sense of Uncertainty Grips the World,” we are told: “The Germans are...
The Balancing Act Is Over: What Elor Azaria Taught Us About Israel
For some, the "manslaughter" conviction – following the murder by Israeli army medic, Elor Azaria, of already incapacitated Palestinian man, Fattah al-Sharif – is finally settling a protracted debate regarding where Israelis stand on Palestinian human...
Bodies Litter Tigris River in Mosul; 39 Killed in Iraq
The Threat From China’s Lone Aircraft Carrier Has Been Overstated
The world’s media is touting the “coming out” party for China’s lone aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. The carrier and its’s entourage of escorting destroyers and frigates made a splash when they left the first island chain behind and...