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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A Leaner, but Not Meaner, Military

The echo chamber of Washington is hard at work. The consensus is growing that the U.S. military will need to aim for a slimmer but still perfectly effective military, thanks to the budget and capability cuts of the past three years. However, given the magnitude of ongoing defense budget cuts, a hollowing force simply does […]

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Doing Business with Terrorists

by Daniel Pipes October 18, 2011 Cross-posted from National Review Online That Gilad Schalit has been released after five years of captivity by Hamas brings joy to anyone who watches the Israeli soldier’s reunion with his parents and the ecstatic welcome he received by his countrymen. It also reminds one of the Israel Defense Forces’ […]

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House Cloakroom: October 24 – October 28

House Cloakroom: October 24 – October 28 Analysis: This week the House will take up two important changes to the tax code.  The first would change the way income is calculated when with respect to eligibility requirements for certain healthcare tax benefits.  The second would end the 3% withholding on payments to businesses by the […]

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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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Lessons of Libya

That indigenous forces backed by Western military power could overthrow an odious unpopular regime backed by a second-rate military ought to come as no surprise. That was, after all, exactly what the Bush Administration did in Afghanistan. In fact, operationally, the fall of Kabul looks a lot like the fall of Tripoli. As we now […]

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