Making Targets Out of U.S. Military Personnel

by Paul R. Pillar  Although President Trump is wisely resisting starting a new war in the Middle East, the dead-end nature of his failed “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran has put him on the spot to do something, after last… Continue Reading  

Sharpies in the Post-Truth Era

by Paul R. Pillar President Trump’s amateurish use of a felt-tip pen to alter an already outdated map from the National Hurricane Center, in an effort to sustain an earlier assertion about Hurricane Dorian threatening Alabama, bordered on self-parody. It… Continue Reading  

Stoking Middle East Conflicts Has Just Become More Damaging

by Paul R. Pillar The Abqaiq oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia has always been regarded as a vulnerable choke point in the world petroleum trade. Essential for separating harmful gas and stabilizing crude oil to make it safe to… Continue Reading  

The Stubborn Persistence of Failed Maximum Pressure Against Iran

by Paul R. Pillar It is a sure sign that the Trump administration’s campaign to squeeze Iran into submission is a failure when those who customarily favor pressuring Iran acknowledge that failure. Take what has become the administration’s go-to rationale… Continue Reading  

Israel Uses Its Firepower, Far and Wide

by Paul R. Pillar Israel recently has been expanding its military attacks across much of the Middle East, hitting multiple countries. The aggressive campaign far outpaces anything any adversaries of Israel have been doing to it, or even trying unsuccessfully to… Continue Reading