Bahrain International Airport – When I came to Bahrain, it certainly wasn’t with the intention of spending my whole time in the country in the airport. I wanted to see what was going on in the country, not to see what was going on in the airport. But the Bahrain authorities would not let…
Remember, "It’s the Economy, Stupid?" So how come Democrats in Congress – over the objections of the Obama Administration – are helping Republicans press sanctions on Europeans who buy oil from Iran – sanctions that would increase unemployment in the U.S. during the 2012 campaign? The National Defense Authorization Act now contains a Senate…
The most important content of Presidential speeches is often what they don’t say. Here are some things that President Obama didn’t say about Libya in his speech last night. The President did not answer his critics who asked why he took America into war without authorization by Congress. This question was made sharper on Sunday…
Middle East historian and blogger Juan Cole recently wrote a polemic against progressive U.S. critics of the new U.S. war in Libya. In his polemic, he wrote, "I hope we can have a calm and civilized discussion of the rights and wrongs here." I strongly agree with Juan that it is important for progressive critics…
Here is some unsolicited advice for the Obama Administration: you essentially have four days to put US involvement in the Libya war on a path that doesn’t look like open-ended quagmire. Otherwise, when the House comes back next week, you’re going to get in trouble. Many people have difficulty imagining the possibility that Congress could…
As you may have noticed in 2007 – timetable for Iraq withdrawal, anyone? – in our system of government as it is presently constituted, the executive branch has a tiny modicum of autonomy from the legislative branch, particularly with respect to foreign policy. On Wednesday – burying the news in the post-election media frenzy –…
“Obsession” isn’t just “a fragrance for men.” According to our Commander-in-Chief, “obsession” now also characterizes the widespread interest in the timeline for bringing home 100,000 American boys and girls safely from Afghanistan so they can grow old with their sweethearts and lead economically productive lives, rather than becoming Pentagon statistics or lifelong burdens on their…
Until quite recently, it seemed that Turkey had a clearly defined role in the Middle East, from the standpoint of U.S. policy. They were the "good Muslims," who were part of NATO, who contributed troops to U.S. wars, and who had good relations with Israel. In the past few weeks, therefore, some Americans may have…
In the past few weeks, Turkey and Brazil have elbowed their way to the Big Table of international diplomacy: first by negotiating a nuclear fuel swap agreement to try to push the US back towards diplomatic efforts to resolve its conflict with Iran, and then – in the case of Turkey – by its support…
If I were in Washington this morning, I would run down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to Congress with a big Brazilian flag, as the young Brazilians run down the Avenida Paulista in Sao Paulo during the the "football" match, shouting "Gollllllll!" Because with the news this morning that Iran has agreed to ship…