Latest Article from Michael Freund

Misrepresenting Mandela

December 10, 2013  •  The Jerusalem Post

Imagine a person who planned acts of sabotage and incited violence, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians and damage to public property.

A man who embraced brutal dictators throughout the Third World, such as Libya's Gaddafi and Cuba's Castro, singing their praises and defending them publicly even as they trampled on the rights and lives of their own people.

A person who hugged Yasser Arafat at the height of the intifada, hailed Puerto Rican terrorists who shot US Congressmen, and penned a book entitled, How to be a good Communist.

Picture all this and, believe it or not, you will be staring at a portrait of Nelson Mandela.

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Latest Article from Soeren Kern

UK: Trial Begins for "Soldiers of Allah" Accused of Murdering British Soldier

December 9, 2013  •  Gatestone Institute

The trial of two radical Muslims accused of the "cowardly and callous murder" of British soldier Lee Rigby has begun at the Old Bailey court in central London.

Islamists Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, are each accused of attacking the 25-year-old Rigby by running him over from behind with a car and then attempting to decapitate his motionless body with a meat cleaver and kitchen knives.

The killing of Rigby outside the Woolwich Barracks in southeast London on May 22, 2013 shocked the country and has drawn nationwide attention to the rise of radical Islam in Britain.

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Latest Article from Tevi Troy

The Three Failed Promises of ObamaCare

December 2013  •  Commentary

No matter the degree of disastrousness of its October debut, no matter the efforts of Republicans to derail it, there is little or no chance that ObamaCare can be stopped before the president leaves office in January 2017. The Affordable Care Act and its complicated and costly system of mandates, regulations, and subsidies will now shape our health-care system.

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Latest Article from Jonathan Schanzer

We Really Need to Talk About [Palestinian] Corruption

December 9, 2013  •  The Tower

If peace were suddenly to break out in the Middle East, John Kerry would undoubtedly assure his place in the Secretary of State Hall of Fame. Defiantly challenging a chorus of naysayers at home and around the world, Kerry launched a new round of Palestinian-Israeli diplomacy on July 29, 2013, and believes he can conclude a deal between the two sides by the end of April 2014.

He has his work cut out for him, however. Extremely difficult, almost impossible issues remain to be resolved, such as the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugee claims, and final borders.

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Latest Article from Ilan Berman

Iran's Long List Of Broken Promises

December 6, 2013  •  Washington Times

In Western political circles, where hopes for lasting detente are now running high, Hassan Rouhani remains a diplomatic darling. At home, however, Iran's new president is rapidly running out of time. With his first 100 days in office now up, Mr. Rouhani faces mounting resentment from an Iranian public, which — having elected him last summer for his "reformist" credentials — has little to show for its trust.

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Latest Article from Lee Harris

Newspeak's Comeback and the Invincible Sincerity of America's Liberal Elite

December 4, 2013  •  The American

Did President Obama lie to the American people when he said that those who liked their current health insurance policies could keep them? Or was he simply out of the loop when it came down to the details of his health care reform, as he has claimed in his own defense — a defense that, in the minds of some of his critics at least, comes suspiciously close to Bart Simpson's "I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove anything." After all, how could a man of Obama's obvious intelligence fail to know something so critical to the success of his most significant piece of legislation? Since Obama is not a fool, he must be a liar.

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Latest Article from Clifford May

Iran after Geneva

November 28, 2013  •  Scripps Howard News Service

To be fair, the document signed in Geneva is not meant to neutralize the threat posed by those who rule Iran. It is meant only to be a "confidence building" measure, a first step toward the "comprehensive solution" that President Obama envisions — or at least hopes for.

It's not a treaty, just a "plan of action," though its purpose, at least from the Western perspective, is to induce inaction — to persuade Iran's rulers to halt their development of nuclear weapons. In exchange, America and the West are to stop economically ostracizing Iran. In this first phase, however, the centrifuges will continue to spin, while sanctions pressure is reduced. Small wonder Iran's rulers have been celebrating.

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Latest Article from Jeff Stier

Why Won't HHS Approve Crucial Flu Vaccine?

November 27, 2013  •  Politix

The incompetence, dissembling and lack of transparency at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is already well-established. But the degree to which the mess at HHS jeopardizes our health is only beginning to come to light. And it has nothing to do with Obamacare.

As we approach a busy holiday travel season, as cold weather grips much of the nation and as flu season gets into high gear, HHS is failing to make clear their intentions about when they'll green-light the manufacture of a vaccine for the particularly deadly H7N9 strain of avian flu from China.

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Latest Article from Michael Rubin

Iran deal risks creating another North Korea

November 24, 2013  •  CNN Global Public Square

In the early hours of Sunday morning, in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and foreign ministers from Russia, China, and Europe signed a deal to suspend aspects of Iranian nuclear work in exchange for some sanctions relief. "With this first step, we have created the time and the space in order to be able to pursue a comprehensive agreement…to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon," Kerry told assembled diplomats and journalists.

President Barack Obama was triumphant. "Today, that diplomacy opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure – a future in which we can verify that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful and that it cannot build a nuclear weapon."

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Latest Article from Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi

The Druze Militias of Southern Syria

November 13, 2013  •  Syria Comment

Introduction

Compared to how much has been written on the Sunni-Alawite dynamics in the Syrian civil war, little analysis exists on the Druze aspect of the conflict. This study hopes to rectify the deficiency by considering the nature of Druze militias operating in the south of Syria, specifically in Suwayda, Deraa and Damascus governorates where Druze populations are concentrated.

The Principle of Self-Defense

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Latest Article from Soner Cagaptay

Turkey seeks to lock in long-term security

November 9, 2013  •  The Washington Post

Two years ago, I argued in a Post op-ed that Turkey was pivoting toward the United States. This policy has not ushered in what Ankara wanted: American firepower to oust the Assad regime in Syria. And feeling alone, Turkey has started to seek other allies, including Beijing.

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