20 Years after 9/11 -- Are We Better Off?

20 Years after 9/11 — Are We Better Off?

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Looking back at the half dozen Mideast wars in which we have engaged since that first 9/11, where are we better off now than we were then? Al-Qaida, ISIS, Boko Haram and their variants have established a presence in Arab, Asian and African countries far beyond Afghanistan. Looking forward, where …

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Putin's Narrowing Options

Is Putin the New King of the Middle East?

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If Putin wants to be king of this, and it is OK with Assad, how does that imperil the United States of America, 6,000 miles away? “Russia Assumes Mantle of Supreme Power Broker in the Middle East,” proclaimed Britain’s Telegraph. The article began: “Russia’s status as the undisputed power-broker in …

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Is Trump At Last Ending Our 'Endless Wars'?

Is Trump At Last Ending Our ‘Endless Wars’?

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Among those objecting most loudly to an American withdrawal from the forever wars of the Middle East are those who were the most enthusiastic about plunging us in. The backstage struggle between the Bush interventionists and the America-firsters who first backed Donald Trump for president just exploded into open warfare, …

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Are Bibi and Bolton in the Wheel House Now?

Are Bibi and Bolton in the Wheel House Now?

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Brushing aside the anguished pleas of our NATO allies, President Trump Tuesday contemptuously trashed the Iranian nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions. Prime Minister Theresa May of Great Britain, President Emmanuel Macron of France and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were put on notice that their ties to Iran are to be …

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The Rise of the Generals

The Rise of the Generals

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Has President Donald Trump outsourced foreign policy to the generals? So it would seem. Candidate Trump held out his hand to Vladimir Putin. He rejected further U.S. intervention in Syria other than to smash ISIS. He spoke of getting out and staying out of the misbegotten Middle East wars into …

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The Coming Clash With Iran

The Coming Clash With Iran

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When Gen. Michael Flynn marched into the White House Briefing Room to declare that “we are officially putting Iran on notice,” he drew a red line for President Trump. In tweeting the threat, Trump agreed. His credibility is now on the line. And what triggered this virtual ultimatum? Iran-backed Houthi …

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Who Got Us Into These Endless Wars?

Who Got Us Into These Endless Wars?

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“Isolationists must not prevail in this new debate over foreign policy,” warns Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. “The consequences of a lasting American retreat from the world would be dire.” To make his case against the “Isolationist Temptation,” Haass creates a caricature, a cartoon, of America …

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What the Fall of Ramadi Means

What the Fall of Ramadi Means

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The fall of Ramadi, capital of Anbar, largest province in Iraq, after a rout of the Iraqi army by a few hundred ISIS fighters using bomb-laden trucks, represents a stunning setback for U.S. policy. When President Obama declared that we shall “degrade and defeat” the Islamic State, he willed the …

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