Did Danny Ayalon Listen to Petraeus or Read WikiLeaks?

As mentioned in today’s Talking Points, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon has an op-ed in the Washington Times in which he pronounces the “death of ‘linkage’.” Ayalon claims that both the recent instability in the Middle East and WikiLeaks… Continue Reading

Why Did Israel Dial it Down on Iran?

I have a new piece up at Tehran Bureau, the PBS/Frontline project on Iran. The article is a look into the possible reasons that Israel has pushed back the nuclear timeline for Iran. I quote Tony Karon at length (which appears… Continue Reading

CFR and WSJ Need to Fact Check With the CIA and IAEA

With the media and punditry focused on what to make of comments from retiring Mossad head Meir Dagan that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon until 2015, Der Spiegel’s interview with IAEA chief Yukiya Amano should be closely read… Continue Reading

Who is the No. 1 Counter-Jihadi? Gaffney or May?

There’s been a little bit of a sideshow setting up this year’s CPAC confab. Arch-Islamophobe Frank Gaffney was booted from the Conservative Political Action Conference agenda. At Religion Dispatches, Sarah Posner spoke with Suhail Khan, a Muslim conservative and board member… Continue Reading

Duss: Yes, Iran like USSR, Only ‘far, far weaker’

On Think Progress’s Wonk Room, Matt Duss reviews Carnegie associate Karim Sadjadpour’s Foreign Policy article about which historical model best fits U.S.-Iran relations. (Eli covered Sadjadpour’s piece last week.) Duss agrees with Sadjadpour’s conclusion that the Soviet Union is the… Continue Reading