Foreign Affairs

Where Some Presidential Empathy Would Be Entirely Appropriate

By Carroll Andrew Morse | August 5, 2009 |

Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit – for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We cannot disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism.— President Barack Obama, June 4, 2009 @ Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt…

Miguel Luna on Honduras, or When A Providence City Councilman is Saying Obey Executive Authority at Any Cost, You Know He’s Not Thinking Straight

By Carroll Andrew Morse | July 16, 2009 |

As his term of office was coming to an end, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya decided he didn’t like the way the government of Honduras was structured. Unfortunately for President Zelaya, according to Article 373 of the existing Honduran Constitution, a 2/3 vote by the Congress and not a unilateral decision by this President, is needed…

Must Have Missed the International Outrage…

By Justin Katz | July 2, 2009 |

In the midst of an especially worthwhile Nordlinger Impromptus one learns of this unheralded news: Egyptian border police guards last week shot and killed another African migrant who tried to infiltrate the border into Israel. Over the past three years, more than 60 African nationals, including women and children, have been shot and killed and…

The Honduran Constitution’s Checks on Executive Power

By Carroll Andrew Morse | July 2, 2009 |

This was CNN’s description, from June 25, of the events that led to the ouster of Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales…The Honduran Supreme Court ordered Thursday that the military’s top commander be returned to his job immediately, a little more than 12 hours after President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales fired the general for saying…

Handing Over Iraq

By Marc Comtois | June 30, 2009 |

As Ralph Peters writes, “Our effort in Iraq passed a major milestone today: Our troops are leaving the cities.” For whatever reason (um, dare I say victory?), interest in Iraq has waned since it collapsed as a viable anti-you-know-who talking point. But progress has been made and now we can safely return Iraq’s cities to…

Charlie Hall on the Technical Intricacies of Iran’s Election Process

By Monique Chartier | June 27, 2009 |

… and how they make clear one aspect of the electoral fraud that took place June 12. Of course, the rest of Iranian society is much more advanced – and wants to continue progressing, one of the impetuses of the post-election uprising. But this is a pretty good depiction of their voting and ballot counting…

Why Exactly Does the Iranian Government Believe it is Beyond Criticism?

By Carroll Andrew Morse | June 25, 2009 |

It may seem like a trivial question, but it’s really a very important one: when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voices his displeasure at President Barack Obama voicing his displeasure over recent events in Iran, as described for example in an article appearing in today’s Deutsche Welle…[President Obama] has recently has ramped up his previously muted…

The Latest Weapon in the U.S. Arsenal: The O-Bomb

By Justin Katz | June 23, 2009 |

Just wanted to share this fantastic line from Jonah Goldberg that readers might not have caught because it was in an extended entry: So, if Obama deserves “credit” for what’s happened in Iran, there are several possibilities. The first is that he intended for something like this to happen. He gave his speech in the…

Scenes from Today’s Iran Demostration at the RI Statehouse

By Carroll Andrew Morse | June 22, 2009 |

Is America a fading beacon for freedom in the world?

By Donald B. Hawthorne | June 16, 2009 |

There is significant unrest in Iran in the aftermath of their “election.” More here, here, here, and here. Unfortunately, we now have a President whose response to the Iranian unrest (more here, here, and here) shows again how he does not believe in American exceptionalism. Jonah Goldberg pleads for a different approach that endorses freedom.…