Foreign Affairs
Via NRO: The president’s speech was adequate. He said the right things. The question of course is whether or not the plan he outlined can be implemented. In terms of substance, the president’s plan is not so much a true innovation as an adaptation to the changing circumstances in Iraq. Until February of last year,…
So, the 100 Hours continue and Speaker Pelosi has gotten her 9/11 Commission legislation through. And though some may think that every one of the 9/11 Commission prescriptions were included (the necessity or wisdom of implementing them all is another discussion), apparently, that’s really not the case (via The Corner). Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent…
{Nota Bene: Two years ago I wrote this post offering some thoughts from soldiers and others concerning spending Christmas at war. I still believe it to be relevant today. Merry Christmas.} With the current confluence of Christmas and our nation at war, I think it appropriate to mention a few noteworthy writings that deal with…
When two factions (or more) within one nation decide to contend with each other with bullets and bombs instead of through the political process, we are told that there is a civil war. At least, that’s the case in Iraq. Now if, say, two factions (Hamas and Fatah) in, say, the Palestinian territory also resort…
For those so inclined, I’ve put up a longish piece (WARNING: excessive scholarliness may induce drowsiness) over at Spinning Clio that touches on Pearl Harbor, 9/11 and conspiracies about each. (Though it is mostly about debunking the Pearl Harbor conspiracies.)
Recent days have brought a series of powerful editorials on the Iraq Study Group. This post presents 5 of them, none of which looks favorably on the Group’s report. Be sure to read McCarthy’s piece at the end. John Podhoretz on Witless Wisdom: Baker’s Worthless Iraq Advice Yes, it’s been quite a week for the…
An adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (who is also an advisor to the government of Saudi Arabia, BTW) offers some fascinating insight into the political economy of oil prices in the Middle East. Writing in the Washington Post, Nawaf Obaid explains that if the United States cuts-and-runs from Iraq, the…
As we’ve been forecasting at Anchor Rising, declining oil prices are starting to impact the international landscape. This is from a Reuters report on how declining oil prices are increasing the stresses on the government of Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez…A decline in Venezuela’s energy revenue could dog President Hugo Chavez if he is re-elected as…
The world anxiously awaits the report from the “Iraq Study Group” (aka the Baker-Hamilton commission) on what major changes the U.S. should make in conducting the War in Iraq. Most media sources anticipate that a key recommendation from the commission will be opening negotiations with Iran and Syria. Here’s some representative speculation from Martin Walker…
The future of Iraq may now center around the Iraqi government’s response to a search for an American soldier in Iraq believed to have been captured last week by a Shi’ite militia. The U.S. military responded to the kidnapping by sealing off and aggressively searching the Sadr City section of Baghdad. On Tuesday, the Iraqi…
