Out of Iraq, Into the Gulf

So here’s the mystery. You have a country that only recently had upward of 300 military bases, monster to micro, in a single war-torn land, Iraq. It probably now has something like 300 bases combined in Iraq and Afghanistan (where base-building is on the rise). Outside of those war zones, it has perhaps 800 more … Continue reading “Out of Iraq, Into the Gulf”

Survey: Obama Has Real Chance to Change Arab Opinion

President Barack Obama has a major opportunity to improve the mostly negative views about the United States in the Arab world but is likely to have only a short period of time to do so, according to a major new survey of public opinion [.pdf] in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the United … Continue reading “Survey: Obama Has Real Chance to Change Arab Opinion”

Despite Smiles, Obama, Netanyahu Seem Far Apart

While reaffirming the "special relationship" between their two countries, U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared unable to bridge major differences in their approaches to Iran and Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts following their White House meeting Monday. While Obama said he may be prepared to impose additional sanctions against Iran early next … Continue reading “Despite Smiles, Obama, Netanyahu Seem Far Apart”