A Short and (In)Glorious History of U.S. Military Aid and Arms Sales

by Derek Davison With all due respect to Tom Cotton and his efforts to pick a fight with somebody, anybody, in the Iranian government, it’s rare to see the leader of a foreign country engaged in a public spat with… Continue Reading

Turkey, Kurds, and the US

by Robert Olson There is no question that tensions between Turkey and the US have increased substantially as a result of differences over to what degree the US is supporting the Syrian Kurdish nationalist Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed affiliate, the People’s… Continue Reading

The Obama Administration Is Right to Reject the “Settlements=Israel” Conflation

by Lara Friedman Attention is finally focusing on a bill pending in Congress that would make it U.S. policy to defend and support Israeli settlements. Known as the Customs Bill, this legislation regulates U.S. trade relations with foreign countries and… Continue Reading

Life in the Gray Zone

by John Feffer In the 13th century, the Italian town of Lucera was a Muslim island in a sea of Christendom. Here Frederick II, the head of the Holy Roman Empire, established his own shadow cabinet of scholars and advisors… Continue Reading