Category: Opinion

by Godfrey Garner As the dust of years of negotiations begins to settle and the assumption that Iran will continue to operate a robust nuclear research and development process becomes more of a reality, analysts around the world are scrambling … Read more

by Laurent ChalardThe beginning of the year 2011 was the theater of two revolutions in the Arab world, in Tunisia first, then in Egypt, that nobody forecasted. They seemed to be a great surprise for most experts and politicians studying … Read more

by Godfrey Garner As it stands today, a full American withdrawal from Afghanistan this year is strategically unwise, but undoubtedly politically judicious.  Our relationship with Afghanistan and Afghans themselves, for all practical purposes has suffered these past few years and … Read more

by Thomas R. Hutson (U.S. Consul General, ret.) Of course there’s a plan.The U.S. Government has paid billions of dollars to think-tanks, academics and assorted retired military, diplomats and pundits to cover every contingency. So, what happens to the Muslims … Read more

by Sol Schindler The time will eventually come when a few unpolished voices will raise the title question.  The answer will come from a group far larger than the questioners, and with a rational explanation that In these perilous times … Read more

Review by Amb. (ret.) Edward Marks        Spies, Patriots, and Traitors: American Intelligence in the Revolutionary War by Kenneth A. Daigler, Georgetown University Press: Washington, DC, 2014, ISBN-13: 978-1626160507, 336 pp., $23.94 (Hardcover), $16.17 (Kindle). The American Revolution and spying are … Read more

by Sol Schindler So who won? In wars of attrition there are rarely any winners. It is usually just a question of who is still standing when the fighting ends. In the Gaza conflict foremost among the many losers was … Read more

by Godfrey GarnerAfghans will go to the polls a final time in the 2014 election on June 14th. They will decide between Abdullah Abdullah National Coalition of Afghanistan and Independent Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai. The frontrunner as indicated by polling is … Read more

by Sol SchindlerFormer Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel was sentenced Tuesday, May 13th, to six years imprisonment for taking bribes by Judge David Rosen of the Tel Aviv District Court. Public reaction was mixed, as to be expected except … Read more

by Sol Schindler The Politics Some people think President Obama should have foreseen the Russian seizure of Ukrainian Crimea. They are right, of course. He should have foreseen it. We all should have foreseen it. World events are invariably related; … Read more

by Benjamin L. LandisThe Economist in its “Holiday Double Issue” dated December 21st, 2013-January 3rd, 2014, gave its readers an unexpected and surprising Christmas present: the specter of World War III. Happy New Year to one and all! In its … Read more

by Sol Schindler Because of Secretary Kerry’s perseverance and industry we shall soon see three international conferences underway, all attempting to pacify different corners of the Middle East. Those of us who have run laps around those corners these last … Read more

by Keith C. SmithTHE POLITICS On several occasions in late 2013 and early 2014, Russian officials have warned Europeans against following the U.S. lead in exploiting domestic natural gas and oil. Moscow has warned Europe that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is … Read more

by Godfrey Garner As 2014 draws near, the anticipation on the streets and within the thick compound walls of the villages in Afghanistan grows more and more. And around the world, virtually every developed nation has a tangible economic investment … Read more

by Ruth Ben-Or

by Sol Schindler

by Edward Marks
Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post

by Benjamin L. Landis

by Aaron Brown

by Dick Virden