Was the Libyan Intervention Humanitarian?
Now that Tripoli has fallen to the rebels and Qaddafi is on his way out, many see vindication for the decision to intervene in Libya. Whether the decision intervene in Libya was wise for western governments is up for debate, but it is unquestionably clear that thanks, at least in part, to western aerial power, … Read more
Walt:The US Will Lose in Iraq
Piggy-Backing on my last post about the American decision to invade Iraq and the long-term consequences of doing so, I present Stephen Walt: Specifically: invading Iraq was never necessary, because Saddam Hussein had no genuine links to al Qaeda and no WMD, and because he could not have used any WMD that he might one … Read more
Too Little Too Late or Just Too Little?
I can’t seem to stop talking about the debate over western military intervention in Libya. Though, to be fair, neither can anyone else. As those loyal to the regime push further east, it seems as though the debate over a no-fly zone (NFZ) has transformed from a question over “if” to “if its worth it.” … Read more
Like Frogs That Refuse To Jump Out Of A Pot Of Hot Water
America is losing its grip on the Middle East. This, of course, has been apparent for a while now to those who spend their free time tracking the rise of the resistance movement or the sandy foundations of American regional policy. The rise of Hezbollah (vis-a-vis March 14) and Hamas (vis-a-vis Fatah) as well as the … Read more
America In The Middle East
During the first Gulf War, the United States stopped short of invading Baghdad and toppling Saddam Hussein, leaving Rumsfeld, Cheney, Libby and the other one time supporters of the NeoCon Project for a New American Century with strike one. Iraq, the Sequel was supposed to get the job done. Dispose of Saddam and watch the … Read more
Racism in America
I tend to stay away from commenting on domestic American politics on this site as the issues in America tend to have little actual effect on the country’s policies in the Middle East (what exactly has Obama done differently than Bush?), but I find myself compelled to say at least something that the conflagration of … Read more
What Happens Even When We’re In Afghanistan
Time editor Richard Stengel spent a fair amount of time gauging his journalistic responsibility to “illuminate what is actually happening on the ground [in Afghanistan]” when he decided on the magazine’s upcoming August 9th cover story. The wrenching portrait is of Aisha, an 18-year-old Afghan woman whose nose and ears were cut off by the … Read more
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Baby Elephant-Rabbit?)
There are always some very interesting stories in the news everyday; every morning when I go through my Google reader and check out the headlines from around the world, there are always some surprises. Today was no exception. So let’s take a quick look at some of today’s finest examples of journalism. Israel has Its … Read more
The Afghanistan blunder
As news and statistics flow in from the recent incursion into the Marjah district in Helmand, it seems obvious that U.S. hopes for success are doomed to failure. While reports suggest that the marines have succeeded in driving out the Taliban, this minor operation doesn’t fit nicely into the broader understanding of U.S. efforts in … Read more
Why Success Is Not Important
In today’s Asharq Alawsat, Hada Al Husseini wrote an op-ed declaring that the next 3 months are paramount to the US Middle Eastern policy. In a certain light, Husseini is correct; the next three months are very important for the US. On the other hand, the three months following will be just as important. Besides … Read more
Chris Keeler
Chris Whitman
