Ted Snider

On June 18, 2021, Ebrahim Raisi was elected President of Iran. It was not the first time he had run, but it was the first time he had won. The first time he ran, he was defeated by the moderate Hassan Rouhani. But there were influential Americans who had hoped the hardline Raisi would win. … Continue reading “Iran’s Election: Making Your Iranian Nightmares Come True”

Jovenal Moïse, the president of Haiti, was assassinated by what appears to be men who were well armed with heavy-caliber weapons in his home on Wednesday. It is not yet clear who the men are. Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph says that the men spoke English or Spanish but provided no further details. The Miami … Continue reading “The Assassination of Haiti’s President”

The Trump years were not good years for Latin America. There were coups in Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela. There were some signs that things may change under the Biden administration. But recent moves have pointed those signs back in the old direction. Ecuador After early indications from an unsettled and still confused new administration that … Continue reading “Joe Biden and Latin American Question Marks”

"There will be no way to avoid one day temporarily taking over Gaza," Yuval Steinitz, Netanyahu’s energy minister said just days before the latest ceasefire. "That day has not arrived for all kinds of reasons. I think the day will come, if not now than in the coming years." Though the next war on Gaza … Continue reading “Gaza: Gearing Up for the Next War”

On September 28, 2000, Ariel Sharon led a group of Likud politicians, surrounded by a thousand armed police, up the Temple Mount, home of the Al-Aqsa Mosque: an unprecedented provocation at one of Islam’s holiest sites. The next day, as thousands of Palestinians protested, Israeli police opened fire on the protesters, and, the day after … Continue reading “Israel’s War of Provocation”

Reprinted with permission from MondoWeiss. After 243 Palestinian deaths, more than 1,900 Palestinians wounded, 16,800 Palestinian homes destroyed, tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced from their homes and a refused Egyptian proposal of a ceasefire, Israel has accepted an Egyptian ceasefire. But it never had to happen. On April 6, 2021, the United States returned … Continue reading “A War of Choice, a War of Permission”

After a slow start in Iran, the Biden administration was somehow convinced to alter course on the nuclear negotiations and become serious. Though both sides still accuse the other of being unrealistic on sanction relief, both sides now believe the other is committed to resuscitating the JCPOA nuclear agreement. Iran’s top negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, recently … Continue reading “US Foreign Policy: Some Things Change, Some Things Don’t”

Rafeal Correa served as president of Ecuador from 2007-2017, bringing in the socialist Citizen’s Revolution for the people of Ecuador. In 2017, Correa’s vice president, Lenín Moreno, was elected president. The people elected him on the promise that he would continue his predecessor’s policies. However, with US backing, Moreno underwent a sudden conversion to the … Continue reading “Ecuador’s Stolen Election”

The President of Venezuela was removed from power with U.S. assistance due to his left leaning politics, his clashes with conservatives and his objections to American power and influence in Latin America. The coup leaders consulted with the United States for some time in preparation for the coup. When the leader of the coup declared … Continue reading “Coups in Venezuela: The Long Legacy Continues”

Israel keeps attacking and sabotaging Iran; Iran keeps showing restraint. Israel is running out of patience to stop the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal; Iran keeps showing patience. In the summer of 2020, Israel sabotaged Iran’s Natanz civilian nuclear enrichment facility. They have bombed Iran’s allies in Lebanon, and they have bombed their allies in … Continue reading “Is Israel Sabotaging Itself?”