How To Create an Afghan Blackwater

The other day, as I was reading through the New York Times, I came upon this headline: “Powerful Afghan Police Chief Killed in Kabul.” His name was Matiullah Khan. He had once been “an illiterate highway patrol commander” in an obscure southern...

read more

Saudi Atrocities Go Unnoticed

In December 2011, the United States sold $30 billion worth of weapons to the monarchy of Saudi Arabia. Included in the sale were 84 F-15 fighter jets, which are now “at the core” of the Saudi war in Yemen. This fact, and numerous others about the Kingdom have received...

read more

The Great Convergence With Iran

A final, comprehensive agreement is yet to be drafted and signed, but by all indications negotiators have finally achieved a breakthrough in the decade-and-a-half-long Iranian nuclear negotiations. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) framework agreement,...

read more

To My Readers

As I totter into my dotage, and start to fall apart at the seams, I've been spending more time in doctors' offices – and today is one of those days, unfortunately. Yes, I'd much rather be at home writing my column. Indeed I am taking off this week to deal with a...

read more

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Bomb?

I must start with a shocking confession: I am not afraid of the Iranian nuclear bomb. I know that this makes me an abnormal person, almost a freak. But what can I do? I am unable to work up fear, like a real Israeli. Try as I may, the Iranian bomb does not make me...

read more

How Animals Fare in War

The L.A. Times recently reported on the U.S. Navy’s training of dolphins and sea lions as part of its seemingly limitless global war strategy. The Navy hopes that these animals’ biological capabilities will allow them to find underwater enemy mines and...

read more