Another unhappy 9/11 anniversary
We continue to fight erratically and without a coherent global strategy.
Camp David
President Carter’s Foreign Policy
Episode 23 | Does a New Book Shed New Light?
Foreign Podicy
The life, times and foreign policies of Jimmy Carter
One of his wisest advisors attempts to give them a new and improved look.
Op-eds
Palestinians have mail
For years, smart and well-meaning “peace processors” have worked hard to find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. They’ve never come close. Commentators keen on being perceived as...
Op-eds
Mahmoud Abbas and the Years of Terror
Mahmoud Abbas entered Yasser Arafat’s office in the Palestinian presidential complex, commonly referred to as the muqata‘a (compound), in the center of Rama...
Op-eds
The president should not tie his successor’s hands
You’re probably familiar with the old story about the inebriated guy looking for his wallet at night under a streetlight — not because that’s where he dropped it but because wha...
Op-eds
Why is President Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia important now?
US President Barack Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week for meetings with King Salman and other leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council appears first and foremost to be about reassuranc...
Op-eds
Iranian Weapons Smuggling in the Arabian Peninsula Continues
An American-led maritime coalition recently intercepted a fishing boat carrying weapons off the coast of Oman, according to news reports on Monday. U.S. officials...
Policy Briefs
Bahrain and Iran Expel Each Other’s Diplomats
Bahrain announced the withdrawal of its ambassador from Iran on Thursday and ordere...
Policy Briefs
A Friend in a Friendly Country: Saudi, U.S. Seek Common Ground
Sitting in the White House Oval Office, King Salman ...
Op-eds
Despite their Quiet, Gulf States Remain Uneasy about Iran Deal
The Obama administration insists that “99% of the world” supports the Joint Comprehensi...
Policy Briefs
There Will Be Neither Snapback Nor Pushback
President Obama views his deal with Iran as a stepping stone for a broader, strategic relationship with the Islamic Republic. "There is definitely a larger picture here,” an administration...
Op-eds
The Gulf Cooperation Council Camp David Summit: Any Results?
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Deutch, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee: thank you on behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies for the opportunity to testify before...
Congressional Testimonies
Obama Will Even Defend Anti-Semitism to Spin His Iran Deal
It’s not every day that you hear President Barack Obama explain away rank bigotry. But in a recent ...
Op-eds
When the U.S. Will Intervene in the Gulf, and Other Notes From the Camp David Summit
I've held a number of discussions with people who have direct knowledge of the conversations that took place at this month’s Camp David Summit between President Obama and leaders from...
Op-eds
The Camp David Summit: Major or modest moves in U.S.-Gulf ties?
In the run up to Thursday's summit at Camp David, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had predicted that &ldq...
Op-eds
Royal Snub Signals US Disarray on Iran
Last Saturday, White House officials were boasting about the significance of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud's presence at a summit of Gulf leaders at Camp David, Maryl...
Op-eds
No-Show at Camp David: What the Saudi King’s Snub Really Means
“I’ll see you next week.” According to a senior U.S. official, that’s what Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ...
Op-eds
The King of Saudi Arabia Skipped Obama’s Camp David Summit
While Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and deputy crown prince headed to America for a summit w...
Op-eds
Will the Fallout from the Iran Deal Make the Middle East Less Stable?
Let’s stipulate that any effort to reach a nuclear accord with a rabidly anti-American theocracy like the Islamic Republic of Iran is by its nature a risky enterprise. That’s especial...