Reforming the Military Health Care System

A number of military and veterans groups are expressing concern over a letter that Senator John McCain (R–AZ) has sent to members of the congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction suggesting they adopt earlier proposals from a March report of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for scaling back military health care benefits and increasing […]

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Veteran Journalist: I’d Do the Same Today

In the wake of the media storm about the possibility of an Israeli military strike in Iran, a veteran journalist recalled on Sunday another Israeli military operation: the 1981 strike on Iraq’s nuclear reactor. On June 7, 1981, during the term of Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Israel carried out Operation Opera, a surprise air strike […]

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Friendless in the Middle East

by Daniel Pipes National Review Online November 8, 2011 The Arab upheavals of 2011 have inspired wildly inconsistent Western responses. How, for example, can one justify abiding the suppression of dissidents in Bahrain while celebrating dissidents in Egypt? Or protect Libyan rebels from government attacks but not their Syrian counterparts? Oppose Islamists taking over in […]

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Obama’s Misplaced Mideast Optimism

by Daniel Pipes National Review Online October 25, 2011 Confidently commenting on the execution of Libya’s long-time dictator, Barack Obama stated that “the death of Mu’ammar al-Qaddafi showed that our role in protecting the Libyan people, and helping them break free from a tyrant, was the right thing to do.” About his own decision to […]

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Politics Trumps Security in Obama’s Bungled Troop Negotiations with Iraq

After denying last week that the negotiations to extend the U.S. troop presence in Iraq were failing, the Obama Administration pivoted on Friday as President Obama announced that the U.S. troop presence would not be extended. The President sought to turn a dangerous outcome for Iraq’s security and the war against terrorists into a political […]

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Arab League to Debate Suspending Syria

Arab foreign ministers are slated to discuss suspending Syria’s membership in the Arab League at an emergency meeting due to be held in Cairo on Sunday, Egypt’s semi-official newspaper Al Ahram reported. The report, quoting diplomatic sources, said ministers may also consider the possibility of recognizing the newly-formed opposition Syrian National Council. Sunday’s meeting is […]

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Obama’s Risky Iraq Drawdown Plans Prompt Open Letter from Foreign Policy Experts

A flurry of newspaper articles reporting that the Obama Administration may decide to disregard the advice of its military commanders and reduce the U.S. military presence in Iraq to less than 4,000 troops by the end of the year prompted 42 distinguished American foreign policy experts to write an open letter to President Obama on […]

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Assessing Qaddafi

by Daniel Pipes National Review Online August 30, 2011 The world’s longest ruling head of state, Mu’ammar al-Qadhdhafi (the correct transliteration of his name), would have been ruler of Libya for exactly 42 years on Sept. 1. As he leaves the scene, his wretched reign deserves an appraisal. Qaddafi took power at the age of […]

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