Ukraine Primer III: Crimea’s Secession Vote

by Derek Davison Crimeans voted “overwhelmingly” to secede from Ukraine and join Russia in a March 16 referendum. The Obama administration declared shortly after that “the international community will not recognize the results of a poll administered under threats of… Continue Reading

UN Rights Rapporteur Forced to Grade Iran from Afar

by Omid Memarian Geneva — Following the release Friday of his report to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Iran, U.N. Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed urged Tehran to engage with U.N. mandates – firstly by permitting him to… Continue Reading

Tatar, Not Tartar: A Photo Essay

by Derek Davison Let’s talk about the difference between a “Tatar” and “tartar.” Yes, I’m talking to you, National Geographic: Russian forces are also conveniently located in Crimea, where a largely Russian populace (59 percent; Crimea was a part of… Continue Reading

Finding Time — and Courage — for Crisis Management

by Henry Precht They used to say during the Cold War that the Pentagon was prepared to fight two and a half wars at the same time. Actually, I can’t think of such a fraught moment in post-World War II… Continue Reading

Bibi’s Epic Fail

by Mitchell Plitnick Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to the United States has ended in an unprecedented failure. On the Palestinian front, the Iranian front and the domestic US front, Netanyahu’s efforts last week ran badly aground. Let’s review… Continue Reading