So, here’s some reaction: this is potentially a propaganda coup of the first order. Operationally, it may or may not be meaningful. Remember, as we’ve mentioned, part of the reason our enemies in this war are so fanatical is that … Continue reading →
If this is so, no other word leaps to mind. Not having read the cables in question, one doesn’t know if the British press is exaggerating, but if we actually traded UK national-security information to the Russians in exchange for … Continue reading →
Lurking about the presidency in the guise of secretary of state, America’s chief diplomat has embarked upon a mistake that someday may rival Dean Acheson’s exclusion of Korea from the Pacific defense area, or April Glaspie’s muddled words to Saddam … Continue reading →
The parallelism, excellent! We’ll pull out of Iraq, soon and responsibly (is there any other way?); also, we’ll close our eyes and click our heels together three times and wish upon a star over and over again until Israelis and … Continue reading →
Unfortunately on us. Prince Mikey G writes: Every time we try and capitulate, they slap us around some more. What fresh hell is this? Oh, well, Ahmadî-Nezhâd’s press advisor is claiming that we were offering to sell them some Boeing … Continue reading →
…in return for his grin-and-grip and missile deal (where we accepted reductions in missiles they were going to retire anyway as in their favor). Biden to Georgia: Lie back and think of England. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like … Continue reading →
Writes John Noonan at the Standard. Read his comments, then come back. Ok? So, Hillary says: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Iran Wednesday that the United States would extend a “defense umbrella” over its allies in the Persian Gulf … Continue reading →
Is our offer to Russia (again). This time the president is stating it publicly: “I know Russia opposes the planned configuration for missile defence in Europe . . . I have made it clear that this system is directed at … Continue reading →
Good news on the Kyrgyz front. We made a deal on Manas. Tripled the rent, so that‘s a nice benny for the Kyrgyzstan honchos. Seriously, though, good news in that it’s a significant bit of assistance to logistically supporting our … Continue reading →
The upshot of all this is that the task of keeping Russia’s imperialist pretensions under control has just gotten harder. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →With President Barack Obama’s trip to Moscow on Monday, you might expect Russia to avoid stirring up any trouble. Yet the Russian media are now abuzz with speculation about a new war in Georgia, and some Western analysts are voicing … Continue reading →
The Iranian government’s Fourth-of-July invitations have been rescinded, conveys Mike Goldberg, again with some vociferous commentary. The hot dog diplomacy was a symbol of this administration’s naive faith in the power of diplomacy and in their own power of persuasion. … Continue reading →
Over at the Standard. Under President Obama, our approach to Iran–the world’s foremost state sponsor of terror, a rogue regime racing toward nuclear capability–is not only not regime change, it’s de facto regime preservation. So he delicately sought to say … Continue reading →
…make it Reuel Gerecht. He’s by far the most knowledgeable American writer out there with a profound understanding of the intelligence, military, cultural, and political context. His best guess: HH: Now this is Wednesday. Of course it’s now deep into … Continue reading →
…what stuns me about the commentary over the last couple of days is the perception that the regime has done something shocking with this election. The regime isn’t any different today than it was the day before the election, the … Continue reading →
Obama’s policy now requires getting past the election controversies quickly so that he can soon begin negotiations with the reelected Ahmadinejad government. This will be difficult as long as opposition protests continue and the government appears to be either unsettled … Continue reading →
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Obviously all of us have been watching the news from Iran. And I want to start off by being very clear that it is up to Iranians to make decisions about who Iran’s leaders will be; that we … Continue reading →
Doesn’t Kim Jong Il have a compelling personal story? Like Sonia, he grew up in a poor neighborhood (North Korea), yet he’s managed to become a nuclear power, shattering the glass ceiling to take his seat at the old nuclear … Continue reading →
So, President Obama went on YouTube and delivered a message to the leadership of Iran of how he wanted to get together and rap about all the false consciousness that’s harshing our bilateral mellow. Which, of course, led to Iran’s … Continue reading →
It’s just about that painful to watch. No, not our Celebrity-in-Chief’s talk-show yukfest on Leno, but this dreadful piece of PR/public diplomacy performed by the president. Friend of the Gormogons Steve Hayes has the story here. Among other things, Obama … Continue reading →
…the revised edition of The Great Terror (buy it now) comes to mind, but I’m not arrogant enough to believe I have anything like Conquest’s authority to say it. But let’s just say that this piece on Iran’s gloating about … Continue reading →
Anyone follow the North Korean negotiating fiasco? The North Koreans, like the guy swinging a chair in the cafeteria on his first day in jail, do some crazy shit, and we say, “Hey, hey, hey, easy, easy. Let’s negotiate! Here’s … Continue reading →
The government of Kyrgyzstan is waffling on kicking us out of Manas AFB. I suspect means we’re doing a good job at saying, “Hey, look, you remember, oh, say, 1862–1991 when the Russians ran things around here? You sure you … Continue reading →
The WaPo editorial page is on fire with foreign-policy goodness today. (I’m giving Ghettoputer’s sister credit.) First, Professor Baktybek Abdrisaev, former ambassador of Kyrgyzstan, writes that U.S. policy towards Kyrgyzstan became reduced to simply maintaining our airbase at Manas. He … Continue reading →
From the Weekly Standard. A total lack of a North Korea policy. Neglect of the navy in the face of a Chinese build-up. (Aircraft carriers are pure force-projection platforms—there’s nothing defensive about them.) One does worry about relative foreign-policy tyros … Continue reading →
Now Obama has made an unauspicious beginning. Or so argues Fouad Ajami. “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,” President Barack Obama said in his inaugural. But in truth, the … Continue reading →
Take it cum grano salis, but here’s what seems to be a Soviet document recounting a meeting with Joe Biden, Dick Lugar, David Pryor, et al., in 1979. Some highlights: 1. J. Biden, the head of the delegation, said that … Continue reading →
