Iraq on the Brink

by Emile Nakhleh Much blame could go around regarding the current chaos in Iraq and the recent territorial gains of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Four contributing factors stand out: The 2003 decision by the Bush administration… Continue Reading

Matt Duss on Herzliya, or: ‘Neocon Woodstock’

If you haven’t already, head over the website of the Nation and read every last word of Matt Duss’s report from Herzliya, the biggest annual Israeli security conference. The event is best known for being where Israeli rightists and U.S.… Continue Reading

Self-fulfilling prophecy: Dennis Ross Doesn’t Think Anything Can Get Accomplished

I was struck by an article by Nathan Guttman in the legendary Jewish Daily Forward about Dennis Ross and George Mitchell jockeying for the position of Obama Administration’s point-person in the Middle East peace process. The whole thing is a… Continue Reading

FDD Opens Iran Confab; Dinner at Oren’s? (Nope! UPDATED)

(UPDATED: Below I guessed that the FDD fundraiser at the residence of an unnamed ambassador to the U.S. would be at Israeli ambassador Michael Oren’s house. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Turns out it was a Pakistani ambassador Husain Haqqani’s house. That… Continue Reading