Hyping the Iran Threat in the Middle East

by Charles D. Smith A drumbeat of warnings about an Iranian threat to Israel specifically, and American interests collaterally, has intensified in recent months. Alarmist articles by former and current New York Times reporters have hyped the threat of Tehran… Continue Reading

A Syria Deal Trump Should Make with Putin

by Paul R. Pillar Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appears to be trying to follow the sound advice of Ted Galen Carpenter in letting Russia take primary responsibility for handling the tar baby known as Syria. Tillerson reportedly told United… Continue Reading

Our Hardliners Are Still Helping Iran’s Hardliners

by Paul R. Pillar The unrelenting urge among American politicians to keep punishing Iran—or more precisely, to be seen supporting steps with that objective—continues to work against sensible statecraft and U.S. interests in multiple respects. One of those respects concerns… Continue Reading

The Itch to Escalate the Syrian Civil War

by Paul R. Pillar The complicated, multidimensional nature of the Syrian civil war continues to discourage clear thinking in debate about U.S. policy toward Syria. The involvement in the conflict of multiple protagonists who are each anathema to the American… Continue Reading

One Year On: The Iran Deal Has Fulfilled Its Promise

by Shemuel Meir The annual Herzliya Conference made headlines a few weeks back simply due to the fact that former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak pulled out a no holds barred attack on Benjamin Netanyahu.… Continue Reading