Iraq Bloodshed: 33 Killed, 165 Wounded

Attacks targeting Shi’ite worshippers during Friday prayers left an astonishing number of casualties today. At least 33 Iraqis were killed and 165 more were wounded in the violence. The bombing in Kirkuk occurred at about the same time as those in Baghdad, implying that the multi-city attacks were coordinated. Massive demonstrations also took place in Sunni-areas of northern and western Iraq.
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Will Budget ‘Cuts’ Impact US Aid to Israel?

Given the kind of society we have become – a country of whining spoiled brats who have been living above our means for years – every special interest group is up in arms over the alleged tragedy known as Sequestration. While these automatic across-the-board spending...

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Lawless: An Oddly Exceptional Empire

Many empires have risen and fallen over the course of recorded history. All were created by force. Yet all have tried to legitimize that force, by passing laws and seeking to establish some sort of order that would outlive their military supremacy. Some have been more...

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American Anniversaries from Hell

It’s true that, last week, few in Congress cared to discuss, no less memorialize, the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.  Nonetheless, two anniversaries of American disasters and crimes abroad -- the “mission...

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Obama at the Edge of a Cliff in Middle East

With Syria and Iran, President Barack Obama faces getting mired in two wars that could set the entire Middle East aflame, and perhaps the rest of the Islamic world, too. Such an outcome would be in part due to Mr. Obama’s Middle Eastern policy, and the willingness of...

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Obama Beats Bibi on TKO

As a long time commentator on American policy in the Middle East, I have been following with interest the discussion on the recent visit by Barack Obama to Israel, Jordan, and the state-or-non-state of Palestine. Most have observed that the Obama efforts amounted to...

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The Mostly Mainstream Foreign Policy of Rand Paul

One thing you can say about Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is that he’s a crafty politician. His thirteen-hour filibuster to protest President Obama’s nomination of National Security Advisor John Brennan as CIA chief caused a stir across the political spectrum. Paul’s...

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