Continued US Support for Israeli Bombing of Gaza Bodes Ill for Obama’s Second Term

It’s a most unwelcome feeling of déjà vu which must settle over any observer of the Israel-Palestine conflict and the US role in it. An escalation is seen in the woefully asymmetric exchange of fire between Israel and the Gaza… Continue Reading

Yossi Alpher on Israel’s Non-Viable Gaza Strategy

Writing in the Daily Beast’s “Open Zion” former Israeli intelligence operative and strategic expert Yossi Alpher offers his thoughts on Israel’s offensive against Hamas targets (an 11-month old is reportedly among the civilian causalities) in the Gaza Strip today: So why am I worried? First… Continue Reading

Obama Denies Bilateral Iran Nuclear Talks Underway but doesn’t Reject them Either

During his first Press Conference today following his successful second-term campaign, President Barak Obama emphasized that the United States wants to peacefully resolve the tense dispute over the Islamic Republic’s controversial nuclear program (the US is reportedly considering a more-for-more negotiating… Continue Reading

Petraeus’ Failed Legacy of Nation-Building in Afghanistan

Further to Jeremy Scahill’s reporting on General David Petraeus’s impact on the CIA is a post at the Afghanistan Study Group by Mary Kaszynski on the costs and feasiblity of nation-building in the war-torn country: Bing West, assistant Secretary of Defense… Continue Reading

Legal Expert: IAEA Overstepping Bounds with Iran

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is hosting an online discussion on Iran and International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) compliance standard. Authors include Arms Control Law blogger Daniel Joyner, the Hudson Institute’s Christopher Ford, and Vertic’s executive director, Andreas Persbo. Last week, Joyner, a… Continue Reading