The US Fight Against Islamic State: Avoiding “Mission Creep”

by Wayne White Hyping the Islamic State (ISIS or IS) threat risks generating flawed policies. The White House probably is a source of frustration, as its critics claim, but others seem too eager to commit US combat troops. Meanwhile, the… Continue Reading

Gates Wrote Obama’s West Point Speech

by Jim Lobe In light of the chorus of criticism and contempt by neoconservatives and other hawks (like the Washington Post’s editorial board) leveled at President Barack Obama’s West Point speech last week, I found striking the similarities in basic… Continue Reading

Gates on the Israeli Tail’s Attempt to Wag the Dog in 2007

by Jim Lobe I’ve been slowly reading Robert Gates’ Duty over the last week or so and some of it is quite pertinent in light of the recent recommendation by JINSA’s Michael Makovsky and Lt. Gen. David Deptula (ret.) in the Wall Street Journal that… Continue Reading

Matthew Kroenig and Trita Parsi Debate: Should the US Strike Iran?

Back in January, academic Matthew Kroenig claimed the United States could militarily strike Iran without causing havoc and catastrophe in the region. His arguments were widely criticized and supported by the usual suspects. Jamie Fly, the neoconservative executive director of the Foreign Policy Initiative, disagreed with Kroenig, but only… Continue Reading

Obama needs a Game-Changer on Iran

This was one of the most memorable lines from Barack Obama’s 2008 acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention: “…the greatest risk we can take is to try the same, old politics with the same, old players and expect a… Continue Reading