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February 20, 2011 Palestinian Pulse: What Policymakers Can Learn From Palestinian Social Media The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) has released the first-ever study mining the Arabic-language Palestinian social media environment to determine Palestinian public sentiment and its... February 20, 2011 The Lost Years for Alternative Energy? Oil and gasoline prices, low since 2008, are projected to rise again, rapidly returning our oil addiction to the national spotlight. Analysts say that oil prices are heading toward $100 a barrel,... February 20, 2011 What Are We Doing About Gaddafi’s Bloody Hands in Libya? As uprisings sweep the Middle East and North Africa, the bloodiest crackdown is happening, right now, in Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi has ruled for more than 41 years. There are reports of hundre... February 19, 2011 The Global Insurrection If anyone doubted that we are living in a revolutionary age, the events of the past few months should have eliminated all the doubts. From the Middle East to North and South America, people... February 18, 2011 Wisconsin is Not the Only Place Sporting a Hitler Feel Today… You can also peruse Tahrir Square in Cairo, where as many as a million Egyptians turned out for the triumphant — dare we say Khomeini-esque — return to the homeland of Sheikh Yu... February 18, 2011 Berlusconi: Undone by La Dolce Vita? Silvio Berlusconi holds an amazing record of political longevity. Three G-8 summits have been held in Italy in the last 17 years (1994, 1999 and 2009). The U. S. was represented by Presidents Cli... February 17, 2011 The Patriot Act and the Tea Party, continued … Our readers’ comments on my post from last evening about the (temporary) defeat of reauthorization for three Patriot Act provisions are, as one expects, well informed. I want to respo... February 17, 2011 One Last Patriot Point Some reader responses and emailers argue that the GOP defectors should be cut slack because they voted against reauthorization not because they opposed the Patriot Act provisions at issue b... February 17, 2011 When In Doubt, Slam Israel For the Islamic despotisms of the Middle East, it’s an old rule of thumb. When things get tough, or confusing, or frustrating, or when you simply want to deflect anger in the direction of a... February 17, 2011 US Seeks to Tighten Sanctions Against Iran WASHINGTON – As protesters take to the streets in Tehran and the Obama administration heightens its rhetoric against Iran, the US Congress is also looking to turn up the heat on the regime.... February 17, 2011 US Lawmakers Propose Tougher Iran Sanctions WASHINGTON — A group of US lawmakers Wednesday unveiled legislation to toughen sanctions on Iran for its nuclear energy program, calling for international companies traded on US exchanges to reve... February 17, 2011 The Army’s Regime When commenting on Hosni Mubarak’s resignation, President Obama spoke about the Egyptian people’s “hunger for change,” which “bent the arc of history toward justice.... February 16, 2011 The Patriot Act and the Tea Party Sorry for the radio silence. I’ve been on the road for most of the last 10 days. It’s old news at this point that a defection by several Tea Party Republicans to... February 16, 2011 This Time, President Obama Must Do More to Support Iran’s Protesters The pro-democracy movements of Egypt and Tunisia brought tens of thousands of Iranians into the streets to protest their authoritarian regime on Monday. Although the Obama administration stood by... February 16, 2011 FDD Praises Senators Gillibrand and Kirk, Reps. Deutch and Burton for New Iran Sanctions Legislation Press Release February 16, 2011 CONTACT: Susan Firey (202) 622-39488susan@defenddemocracy.org FDD Praises Senators Gillibrand and Kirk, Reps. Deutch and Burton for New Iran Sanctions Legislation Washington, D.C. (February 16, 2011) –This week, February 16, 2011 Bangladesh Today, Egypt Tomorrow James Clapper issued a clarification last week. Within hours of testifying to Congress that the Muslim Brotherhood is a “largely secular” organization, he clarified that he had meant... February 14, 2011 U.S. Presses Germany to Take Action Against Bank Said to Be Backing Iran’s Nuke Program BERLIN-- Germany may be scaling back its trade with Iran, but not fast enough for the United States. The German government won't close a Hamburg-based bank that the U.S. Treasury Department... February 13, 2011 Palestine’s Web 2.0 In the waning days of his presidency, Bill Clinton believed Yasir Arafat and the Palestinians were prepared to make peace. In September 2000, the Palestinians launched a guerrilla war. Five years... February 13, 2011 The Logic of Our Iran Sanctions Even before the recent inconclusive nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva, President Barack Obama undoubtedly agreed with France's national security adviser, Jean-David Levitte, when he describe... February 13, 2011 In Libya, Gaddafi Sounds Scared “We need to create a problem for the world,” Libyan tyrant Muammar Gaddafi declared on Libyan state TV Sunday, in what Reuters describes as his first major speech since a popular upri... February 12, 2011 Never Mind Egypt. What Would We Do Without the UN? History is being made with Egypt’s Lotus Revolution, as President Obama reminded us on Friday, intoning: “This is one of those moments. This is one of those times.” Big things a... February 12, 2011 The ‘Secular’ Muslim Brotherhood How fitting that it was Juma — Friday, the Islamic Sabbath day — that convinced Hosni Mubarak to end his 30-year reign as Egypt’s ruler. This was only hours after James... February 11, 2011 What Are Iran’s Plans Now that Mubarak Is Out? What Are Ours? Today marks the 32nd anniversary of Khomeini’s Islamic revolution in Iran, just as the Iranian regime, while falsely claiming to support Egyptians’ right to assemble and protest, empl... February 11, 2011 Beware the Brokering of Egypt’s ElBaradei Now that Hosni Mubarak has resigned as dictator of Egypt, what role in the perilous transition ahead might be played by former United Nations nuclear chief and Nobel laureate, Mohamed ElBaradei?... February 10, 2011 There’s Willful Blindness, and Then There’s Willful Stupidity James Clapper, the head of intelligence for the United States of America, has explained to Congress that the Muslim Brotherhood is “largely secular.” It further has “esche... February 10, 2011 Mythical Sharia Strikes Again Read it and weep — and you will want to weep. In Bangladesh a 14-year-old girl named Hena was raped by a 40-year-old man, Mahbub, who is described in a report as her “relative.&... February 10, 2011 Re: Re: Willful Blindness, Etc. James Clapper is the director of national intelligence, so he must know what he’s talking about. I mean, who are you going to believe? DNI Clapper or the Muslim Brother... February 10, 2011 Hosni Mubarak Staying Put – What Now? Thursday was a tough day for U.S. intelligence on Capitol Hill. First, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper called the Muslim Brotherhood a "largely secular" organization. Then, CIA di... February 10, 2011 The Spooks’ Black Thursday Bad day for the “Intelligence Community” here in Washington. CIA chief Leon Panetta opined that Mubarak was very likely going to resign in a few hours, while DNI (Director of Na... February 10, 2011 Holland Pulls Ambassador from Teheran over Hanging BERLIN – The Netherlands froze diplomatic relations with Iran last month because of the execution of Zahra Bahrami a Dutch-Iranian woman, and on Monday, The Hague recalled its ambassador to Teher... February 10, 2011 Soft Power Will Strike Hardest at Teheran’s Nuke Program’ Iranian-born analyst urges the West to combine sanctions with human rights activism to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. A US-based Iranian journalist and analyst speaking at the Herzliya Confe... February 10, 2011 Pyramid Scheme Beware the Muslim Brotherhood Amid a harmattan of news, analysis and commentary blowing out of Egypt, one Twitter post stands out. An Israeli tweeted: Dear Egyptian rioters,... February 10, 2011 Trade Unions: The Revolutionary Social Network at Play in Egypt and Tunisia Co-Authored with Eric Lee Perhaps the most overlooked factor in the demise of the authoritarian Ben Ali regime in Tunisia, and the weakening of Hosni Mubarak's grip on stat... February 10, 2011 Moroccan Exceptionalism? I recently spent nearly two weeks in North Africa, arriving just before popular demonstrations drove Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power and leaving just after the protesters occupi... February 10, 2011 Muslim Brotherhood: The Unreliable Ally Last week Nobel Prize winner and Egyptian reformer Mohamed ElBaradei officially joined forces with the Muslim Brotherhood in an effort to bring down the Egyptian government. Shortly thereafter, t... February 10, 2011 Italian judge Orders Former Gitmo Detainee Freed An Italian judge ordered a former Guantanamo detainee released from jail on Monday. The former detainee, a Tunisian named Adel Ben Mabrouk, had been convicted of terrorism-related charges.... February 9, 2011 Has Mubarak Already Won? Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has learned a few things during his 30 years in power. One of them is how to divide those who oppose him. In recent days, he has done this masterfully, and has re... February 9, 2011 Do the Protesters Want Democracy? Between Twitter, Facebook, and the 24/7 news cycle (which seems to have a built-in 18/7 opinion cycle), we in the U.S. can learn in real time what is happening on the ground thousands of miles aw... February 9, 2011 Why Washington Should be Wary of the Muslim Brotherhood Authored by Steven Sotloff With Egypt’s authoritarian regime on the cusp of collapse, attention is turning to the new political players that will emerge on the national sc... February 8, 2011 Watch It Now – Iranium Roger Simon already sent up a flare about an important new documentary on the threat of a nuclear Iran: Iranium. I’ve just watched it, and this is to second Roger’s endorsement &mdash... February 8, 2011 Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian Army remain aloof from protests Ever since protests broke out in Egypt on Jan. 25 calling for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, much speculation has focused on two groups: the military and the Muslim Brotherhood. Both... February 7, 2011 Iranian FM Barred from Munich Security Conference BERLIN – Iran's newly appointed Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, who is barred from visiting the European Union because of his activities in advancing his country's sanctioned nuclear prolifera... February 7, 2011 Analysis: Germany’s Erratic Course with Israel BERLIN – The social and political unrest unfolding in Egypt overshadowed German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit last week to Israel. While in Israel as part of a joint German- Israeli cabinet se... February 7, 2011 Dissecting Radical Islam It’s easy to understand the trepidation that some Muslim Americans express about the upcoming House hearings on Islamic radicalism in the United States. Such hearings are often theater, whe... February 7, 2011 In Defense of Ayaan Hirsi Ali & Afshin Ellian Paul Berman's book, The Flight of the Intellectuals, which was neglected or dismissed by many in the liberal press without its reviewers seriously engaging with its arguments, deals es... February 7, 2011 Afghan Peace Council Requests Release of Gitmo Detainee Afghanistan's High Peace Council has requested the release of Khairullah Khairkhwa, a top Taliban leader, from Guantanamo. The council was set up by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2010 as... February 6, 2011 A Power Vacuum in Egypt? After meeting with embattled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak last week at the behest of President Barack Obama, former U.S. ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner suggested Mubarak should stay in powe... February 6, 2011 Taliban Mourn Death of ‘Eminent Commander’ at Gitmo In a piece last week, I noted that a former Taliban commander, Awal Gul, died of an apparent heart attack at Guantanamo on Tuesday, Feb. 1. The Taliban have now released a statement online... February 6, 2011 How Democracy Became Halal IN the Western study of medieval Islamic history, the institution of iqta — land grants from the sovereign to his soldiers — once loomed large, because scholars searched for reasons b... February 6, 2011 The Next Decade,’ by George Friedman: Review The Next Decade Where We've Been ... and Where We're Going By George Friedman (Doubleday; 243 pages; $27.95) One can easily understand why George Fri...

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