Category: Opinion
-
U.S. should not allow Israel to sabotage returning to JCPOA
U.S. should not allow Israel to sabotage returning to JCPOA In another reckless move last Sunday, April 13, 2021, Israel has struck the Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz, south east of the capital Tehran, apparently causing fire and power outage at the alleged uranium enrichment facility. Details are scarce, with the New York Times reporting…
-
The High Cost of Ethiopia’s Intransigence
Lessons from the Only War Between the Two Countries In 1874-1876 war broke out between Egypt and Ethiopia. Egypt under Ismail Pasha was over confident that it would win. Ismail Pasha wanted to create an Egyptian empire in Africa extending southward. His grandfather, Mohamed Ali had already extended his empire to Sudan and Eritrea. Ismail…
-
Emerging Security Issues in the Middle East
Introduction Emerging Security Issues in the Middle East American foreign policy in the Middle East has been adrift since the official end of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The Bush administration pursued an interventionist policy that tried to bring democracy to Afghanistan and Iraq. The Obama administration tried to reduce the US military footprint in…
-
Is Libya a U.S. national security issue?
President Joe Biden has an opportunity to learn from the experiences of former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump in creating new policy stances in Libya and promoting Human Rights. Biden has stated that he intends to focus more US emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region vs. the Middle East. However, foreign fighters supported by countries…
-
Who are America’s friends in the Arab world?
The key thing to understand about international relations is that it is based on interests first, and interests alone determine the alliances of countries and govern their relations. However, this condition remains subject to human ties that are formed between the peoples of many countries; these relations turn into coherence and homogeneity, sometimes culminating in…
-
Electric vehicle charger subsidies are bad energy policy
Both the so-called CLEAN Future Act and the Biden-Harris Administration’s $2 trillion infrastructure package, if enacted, will impose upon America substantially more expensive and less reliable energy, and it will reduce job growth and economic expansion. This will be particularly harmful to the working poor who can least afford these burdens. We all want a…
-
The United States Should Rethink Human Rights
The United States Should Rethink Human Rights Human rights have been a central pillar of U.S. foreign policy ever since 1976, when Congress passed legislation requiring the Secretary of State to transmit to Congress each year a “full and complete report” concerning the human rights conditions of all U.N. member states. Ever since, the Department…
-
Khashoggi: A Victim of Royal Politics and His Own Short-Sightedness
Khashoggi: A Victim of Royal Politics and His Own Short-Sightedness The last time I met Jamal Khashoggi he was on a panel in Washington discussing terrorism and I was covering the discussion for an Arab TV channel. During a brief break I asked him for a short interview to explain his relationship with Osama bin…