Bad for America, Bad for Israel, Bad for the World

Mr. Speaker: I rise in opposition to H.R. 4133, the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act, which unfortunately is another piece of one-sided and counterproductive foreign policy legislation. This bill’s real intent seems to be more saber-rattling against Iran and Syria, and it undermines U.S. diplomatic efforts by making clear that the U.S. is not … Continue reading “Bad for America, Bad for Israel, Bad for the World”

Ron Paul Gets One Wrong

One of the refreshing aspects of the Ron Paul revolution has been its willingness to re-examine America’s fractured foreign policy and return to the old principles of national interest and constitutionalism to serve as guidelines for how the nation should behave internationally. Paul has been bold enough to assert that foreign aid, which accomplishes little … Continue reading “Ron Paul Gets One Wrong”

Israeli Dissent May Create More Space for Iran Nuclear Deal

The threat of a military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities this year appears to have substantially subsided over the past several weeks as a result of several developments, including the biting criticisms voiced recently by former top national security figures of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister, Ehud Barak. That a war … Continue reading “Israeli Dissent May Create More Space for Iran Nuclear Deal”

Ziad Jilani: a Kill Shot in Wadi Joz

It was a stiflingly hot Friday afternoon in East Jerusalem’s Wadi Joz neighborhood on June 11, 2010.  That’s where Ziad Jilani lived with his American-born wife, Moira, and his three young daughters.  He had some errands to run and as he left the house, he told his wife to get the girls ready because he … Continue reading “Ziad Jilani: a Kill Shot in Wadi Joz”

Peter Beinart and the Specter Haunting American Jewry

Since even before its release last month, Peter Beinart’s The Crisis of Zionism has been extravagantly denounced and praised. To his everlasting credit, Beinart has described in vivid and uncompromising terms the corrupting and corrosive impact of the American Jewish establishment he so courageously exposed in The New York Review of Books: At the core … Continue reading “Peter Beinart and the Specter Haunting American Jewry”

Stupid and Mean and Brutal

“In blood and sweat / A race will arise to us / Proud and generous and brutal….” Thus wrote Vladimir (Ze’ev) Jabotinsky, the founder of extreme right-wing Zionism, who was also a writer and a poet. Present-day Likud leaders see him as their forefather, much as Stalin saw Karl Marx. The world “brutal” stands out, … Continue reading “Stupid and Mean and Brutal”

The Disappearing Terrorists

Night is here but the barbarians have not come. And now what shall become of us without any barbarians? Those people were some kind of solution.– Constantine Cavafy It hardly makes sense to have a global war on terror if there are not that many terrorists  threatening to blow themselves up in Peoria. Terrorism can … Continue reading “The Disappearing Terrorists”

New Clothes for Old Naked Lies

Elements in Israel and the West intent on attacking the Islamic Republic of Iran are creating the appearance that war is inevitable. Since the turn of the year, anti-Iran propaganda has intensified into a storm of hysterical nonsense. The media tells us that the Israelis are no longer the only ones facing an Iranian “existential … Continue reading “New Clothes for Old Naked Lies”

Save Money by Ending Costly Alliances

Continued U.S. economic sluggishness, induced by a massive national debt in excess of $15 trillion, should be causing soul-searching in the American foreign policy community about which unnecessary alliance commitments can be shed to save money. Yet, predictably, interest groups supporting empire continue to tout “American leadership” in “strategic” regions of the world. For example, … Continue reading “Save Money by Ending Costly Alliances”