Foreign Policy

In a recent interview with the Business Insider, I said that “problems in Iran and Syria are ‘wonderful for the Russian economy.’” I meant it. Adam Taylor’s article, “For all the bluster, these three reasons show Russia’s position on Iran may be surprisingly sane” explores well why Russia is interested in the ambiguity around Iranian nuclear program. In brief, two Read More ›

The recent unintentional Koran burnings and the mass anti-American demonstrations and killings of four American officers have occasioned not only abject apologies from President Obama and our military commanders but the usual excuses from the American State Department and their foreign policy think tank friends. “We must work harder to gain the trust of our Afghan allies” goes the chorus. Read More ›

Most people are surprised when I tell them that I recently returned from a trip to Cuba. They are even more surprised when I tell them I flew directly from Miami to Havana. That is because, until recently, our government did not allow direct flights between Cuba and the United States. That has changed. Today, there are several flights a Read More ›

To many observers, Russia often appears to be dragging its feet in international condemnation of Iran. Last month, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was quick to say that after military attack on Iran the “consequences will be truly catastrophic, their real scope impossible to imagine.” Russia has also frequently pushed against the use of sanctions on Iran. This week it called Read More ›

The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb By Philip Taubman (HarperCollins Books, 478 pages, $29.99) Just as an Israeli airstrike against Iran appears increasingly likely, author Philip Taubman has published a book celebrating a growing movement among movers and shakers aiming to abolish nuclear weapons as soon as possible. The effort is spearheaded by some Read More ›

Blink of an Eye by William S. Cohen (Tom Doherty Associates Book, 368 pages, $24.99) Former Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen has published this, his second novel, and struck terrifying gold. Blink of an Eye compellingly presents a nightmare nuclear scenario that has kept national security professionals and senior political leadership awake nights since September 11, 2001: a nuclear bomb detonates, Read More ›

Much has been made of nuclear proliferation dangers in the Mideast, where a nuclear-armed Iran would set off a regional nuclear arms race. But we should be so lucky as to have only one regional nuclear crisis to worry about. There are several others. Much has been made of the possibility of an India-Pakistan regional nuclear conflict. In her memoir, former National Security Read More ›

President Obama spoke Wednesday at the United Nations, reiterating his talking points on the Mideast. In his Sept. 23, 2010, speech he had set a goal of an Arab-Israeli final accord and a Palestinian state admitted to full membership at the UN by this session. Instead, the Palestinians will push for a recommendation for full admission from the Security Council, Read More ›

WITH its vivid introduction, “Tuesday, September 11, 2001, dawned temperate and nearly cloudless in the eastern United States,” the “9/11 Commission Report” became an instant best-seller and a National Book Award finalist. Unchallenged in its objective history of the circumstances and failures leading up to the horrors of 9/11, except by inevitable conspiracy theorists, it set forth a wide-ranging series Read More ›