Reining in the Rogue Royal of Arabia

If the crown prince of Saudi Arabia has in mind a war with Iran, President Trump should disabuse his royal highness of any notion that America would be doing his fighting for him. Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS, the 32-year-old son of the aging and ailing King Salman, is...

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Mocking Trump Doesn’t Prove Russia’s Guilt

If the bloody debacle in Iraq should have taught Americans anything, it is that endorsements by lots of important people who think something is true don’t amount to evidence that it actually is true. If endorsements were the same as evidence, U.S. troops would have...

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I Will Survive

Dear Readers, I write this under great duress, and against my better judgment: it has never been my policy to mix my personal life and my writing/professional life. This time, however, I don't see how I can avoid it. My regular readers will have noticed that I've...

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US Service Member Among 19 Killed in Iraq

Although formal talks between the Kurdish and Iraqi governments are stalled, back-channel communication is ongoing. However, the most important news of the day is unrelated to war or politics. An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck at the border...

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Veterans Day: ‘Appropriate Homage’

In 1926, a concurrent resolution of the US Congress held it “fitting that the recurring anniversary of [the armistice which brought World War One to an end] should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through...

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Visiting Arafat and Rabin

During the last few days, I met with two old friends: Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin. Well, the term "friends" may not quite be appropriate. Certainly, Arafat called me "my friend" in a recorded message for my 70th birthday, but Rabin called...

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