Fresh off yesterday's story of US rice farmers being "furious" that Iraqis are buying their rice from other countries now that the US occupation is over, twelve members of Congress have fired off a letter to Iraq's Trade Minister pressing for him to get Iraqis back on...
The Highfalutin ‘Friends of Syria’ Conference
As I wrote about in today's news section, the so-called "Friends of Syria" conference of almost 70 nations in Tunisia is calling for (1) a cease fire and (2) a subsequent UN "peacekeeping" force to have unrestricted access to Syria. While I have no illusions about how...
Fear, Threat Inflation, and Public Choice
In Foreign Affairs, Micah Zenko and Michael A. Cohen argue that despite the constant fear-mongering and threat inflation in America, we are actually very secure and face very few, very minor external threats. And one of the reasons we have a system that fuels...
Prospect of Putin Presidency Gives Pundit the Vapors
I read a lot of opinion pieces so that you don’t have to. Some are good enough to make our Viewpoints section. Some are… special: [P]olitical events in Russia will become more important in the coming years, and Americans should prepare for the leverage Russia will...
It is Dangerous to Be in the Military
In Arizona, where seven Marines were killed late Wednesday in a collision of two helicopters near Yuma, Ariz., during night training exercises. Of course, there are many other reasons to stay out of the military as well.
WSJ Iran Propaganda Is As Simple As That
Today in the news section I wrote about a speech yesterday from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The title chooses what is the most pertinent part of the speech: Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei: We Will Never Seek Nuclear Weapons. “The Iranian nation has never...
The Senate’s ‘Capability’ Resolution: A Seething, Jingo Push for Iran War
Senate Resolution 380 was introduced last week by Senators Joseph Lieberman, Lindsey Graham, and Robert Casey. It basically says it should be the policy of the United States to prevent Iran "from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability” and it “rejects any United...
Against Military Intervention in Syria
At his Foreign Policy blog, George Washington University professor Marc Lynch points to a report he wrote for the Center for a New American Century arguing forcefully and persuasively against any kind of military intervention in Syria, including arming the...
Bangkok’s $54 Plot
Officials are still hard at work trying to blame the Iranian government for it, but revelations about the Bangkok bombing plot show an extremely cheap effort to blow something up, which hinged entirely on the ability to hail a cab in the Thai capital. The surveillance...
US on War With Iran: Irrational All Around
Peter Beinart observes what I've been writing here for some time now: the military and intelligence community understands that launching a war on Iran is irrational, but the hysterical political debate is making war more and more likely. The problem with his analysis...
