Online Journal of Politics and Foreign Affairs
What started out as a protest in Tahrir Square against the military government morphed by the end of the day into a riot that ended in Egyptians breaking into the Israeli Embassy: A demonstration that brought tens of thousands to the city’s central Tahrir Square to reiterate the demands of the Egyptian revolution turned violent [...]
There’s still no formal Status of Forces Agreement between Iraq and the U.S. that would cover this, but the Pentagon is putting its weight behind a plan that would keep up to 4,000 American service members in Iraq past President Obama’s December 31, 2011 deadline: Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is supporting a plan that [...]
Via the BBC: Turkey suspends Israel defence ties over Gaza aid raid [PM Recep] Erdogan said Turkey was "totally suspending" defence industry ties with Israel, after downgrading diplomatic relations with the country. "Trade ties, military ties, regarding defence industry ties, we are completely suspending them," he told reporters in Ankara. "This process will be followed [...]
Diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey have been going downhill for more than a year now, ever since Israeli forces boarded a flotilla headed for Gaza that had originated in Turkey, killing fifteen people. Now, that dispute has led to a significant chilling in diplomatic relations: The anticipated publication Friday of a U.N. report on [...]
Apparently, the Libyan rebels have been receiving aid from the Islamic Republic of Iran: Iran “discreetly” provided humanitarian aid to Libyan rebels before the fall of Tripoli, Jam-e-Jam newspaper quoted Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Sunday as saying. We were in touch with many of the rebel groups in Libya before the fall of [...]
CNN correspondent Sara Sidner is in Tripoli, Libya reporting on the rebel advance into the city. Unfortunately when she was interviewed recently whoever was in charge of graphics at CNN must’ve been someone who flunked geography: There is a Tripoli, Lebanon, of course, but it isn’t currently under rebel assault, and presumably not the hideout [...]
Steve Benen has coined the phrase “Thank America Last” to describe those avoiding praise of President Obama for success in Libya.
After months of fits and starts, it appears anti-Gaddafi forces are on the verge of victory.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave the strongest signal ever that there will be some U.S. military presence in Iraq after December 31st.
The Russian Government is reportedly not on board with the calls from Western governments for Syrian leader Bashar Assad to step aside: Russia opposes U.S. and European leaders’ calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resign, Interfax news agency reported Friday, saying that the leader should get more time to implement reforms. The move by [...]
The U.S. and its allies are calling on Bashar Assad to step down, but there’s little we can do when he says no.
Iraq has become so dependent on Iran for its survival that it is endorsing the brutal tactics of Bashar Assad.
Earlier today, the Saudi King made his first public comments on the situation in Syria and used it as an opportunity to increase diplomatic pressure on the Assad regime: Syria came under new pressure on Monday from a widening clamor of criticism by Gulf Arab states over its brutal crackdown on a five-month-old antigovernment uprising, [...]
There’s an interesting article from yesterday’s Washington Post about the gap between Iranian elites and the rest of the country: TEHRAN — Gold-flecked ice cream wasn’t part of the picture that Shiite Muslim clerics painted during the Iranian Revolution, when they promised to lift the poor by distributing the country’s vast oil income equally across [...]
International options with respect to Syria are limited and likely to have little impact on the governments treatment of civilians.
The world is starting to denounce the crackdown in Syria, but the reaction seems unlikely to go much beyond strongly worded statements.
Nearly thirty years ago, the Syrian city of Hama was witness to the massacre of tens of thousands of people by the forces of Hafezal-Assad. Today, his son sent the Syrian Army into Hama and other Syrian cities and it was another bloody day: BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syrian military and security forces stormed Hama and [...]
The Supreme Court is being asked to decided if Congress can overrule a foreign policy position the U.S. has held since 1948.
The U.S. and French Embassies came under attack by a pro-government mob earlier today: Syrian government supporters smashed windows at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Monday, raised a Syrian flag and scrawled graffiti calling the American ambassador a “dog” in anger over the envoy’s visit last week to an opposition stronghold, witnesses said. French [...]
One of the main reasons why the United States has had to be continually careful about its response to the situation in Pakistan, and the policies of the Pakistani government, is because the land route through Pakistan has been our main supply route for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Now, after ten years, it looks like [...]
The Saudis seem to be sending a very clear signal to Iran, and the world: A senior Saudi Arabian diplomat and member of the ruling royal family has raised the spectre of nuclear conflict in the Middle East if Iran comes close to developing a nuclear weapon. Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief [...]
The selective application of international law is here to stay.
Via the BBC: Syria unrest: fresh protests erupt Fresh demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime have erupted across Syria, with reports of at least eight people killed by security forces. Activists and witnesses said security forces had opened fire in Homs, Damascus, and Deir al-Zour in the east. Official media played down the size of [...]
With American forces committed in various ways in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, and Iraq, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham thinks it might be a good idea if we intervened in Syria as well: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that it’s time to consider international intervention in Syria to avoid the further “slaughter” of people [...]
The War Powers Act’s 90 day limit is in sight. Will Congress force the president’s hand?
The United States is pressuring the Netanyahu government to move off its hard line.
It appears that the Syrian military is starting to fracture. Exactly how widespread this is remains to be seen.
Via the BBC: Syrian unrest: ‘Heavy fighting’ in Jisr al-Shughour The government says it is trying to restore order after 120 security personnel were killed last week. [...] BBC correspondents on the border say the number of those who have crossed is probably higher than the official figure of 5,050 given on Sunday afternoon by [...]
American drone strikes in Yemen are intensifying. Is this a new war. or just the same one we’ve been fighting since October 2001?
Via the AP: After 4 years, Egypt reopens its border with Gaza Egypt lifted a 4-year-old blockade of the Gaza Strip on Saturday, greatly easing travel restrictions on the 1.5 million residents of the Palestinian territory in a move that bolstered the Hamas government while dealing a setback to Israel’s attempts to isolate the militant [...]
Having read a number of comments on my post on the 1967 lines, as well as following the ongoing public discussion, I would like to ask the following: 1) Do you favor a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? 2) In the context of your first response, what do you propose to do with/about/to the [...]
This is hardly surprising news given the close relationship between Syria and the Islamic Republic, but it now seems clear that Iran is providing Bashar Assad’s regime with assistance in the crackdown on anti-government protesters: U.S. officials say Iran is dispatching increasing numbers of trainers and advisers — including members of its elite Quds Force [...]
If you are interested in increasing your basic understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I would highly recommend the CFR’s Crisis Guide on the subject. At a minimum, I would recommend the Video Overview and the whole of Chapter II: The Territorial Puzzle, which includes a primer on all of the territories under discussion as well [...]
I get the impression that a lot of people don’t even know what “the 1967 borders” are or why they tend to be considered the logical point of departure for any type of peace negotiations.
A summary of the status of the “Arab Spring” uprisings with links to news coverage and commentary.
The US-Israeli relationship is not one of equals.
President Obama doubled down in his speech before this year’s AIPAC conference. Why he did so only he understands.
Apparently, Michele Bachmann bases her foreign policy views on obscure quotes from a book written 5,000 years ago: At a Republican Jewish Coalition event in Los Angeles last week, Rep. Michele Bachmann offered a candid view of her positions on Israel: Support for Israel is handed down by God and if the United States pulls [...]
One day after President Obama said that he had the choice of leading a transition to democracy or getting out of the way, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s security forces gunned down 17 protesters who had taken to the streets in defiance of a government order: BEIRUT, Lebanon — Thousands of Syrians defied a ferocious crackdown [...]
It’s been barely four hours since the President’s Middle East policy speech at the State Department and already the fake controversy has developed: Buried in his blithering, blathering, self-congratulatory, hectoring speech on the Middle East today, Barack Hussein Obama dropped this diplomatic nuclear bomb: So while the core issues of the conflict must be negotiated, [...]
Once again, an American President thinks he can bring peace to the Middle East.
The Jerusalem Post is passing along a report from the German newspaper Die Welt that Iran is in the process of building rocket launching facilities in Venezuela: BERLIN – The Iranian government is moving forward with the construction of rocket launch bases in Venezuela, the German daily Die Welt wrote in its Thursday edition. Venezuelan [...]
The Pakistanis are apparently still a bit upset about that whole killing bin Laden thing: Pakistan’s parliament threatened Saturday to cut off access to a facility used by NATO forces to ferry troops into Afghanistan, signaling a growing rift that began when U.S. commandos killed Osama bin Laden during a raid on a Pakistani compound. [...]
