Copyright 2013 Matthew RJ Brodsky Mon, 20 May 2013 09:40:03 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Matthew RJ Brodsky :: Writings http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com rjbrodsky@gmail.com (Matthew RJ Brodsky) webmaster@pundicity.com en-us http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/13279/more-than-a-matter-of-words Mon, 13 May 2013 09:00:00 EST The recent Israeli airstrikes outside of Damascus have refocused the United States' attention on the Syrian civil war. In the wake of the attacks, the phrases – "red line," "game-changer," and "enormous consequences" – have permeated the lexicon of the... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/13259/brodsky-israel-game-changer-with-hezbollah Wed, 8 May 2013 09:00:00 EST The international media have focused on the recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria and what it means to the region. What and whom did Israel target? Was there an imminent threat to Israel? Does the strike portend a widening conflict? There are several... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/13239/never-mind-that-red-line-in-syria Thu, 2 May 2013 09:00:00 EST At first blush, it appeared that the Obama administration finally agreed with the intelligence assessments of its allies—Britain, France, and Israel—namely, that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against the opposition. After all, on April 25 the... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/13226/the-cost-of-inaction-in-syria Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EST Pressure is mounting on the Obama Administration to respond more decisively to the situation in Syria after the White House conceded that it believes the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons against its people. After all, on Aug. 20, 2012, the... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/2013/04/syria-al-nusra-front-pledges-allegiance-to-al Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:51:06 EST Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) declared a merger with Mohammad al-Julani's Jabhat al-Nusra (JN) or the al-Nusra Front, a Syrian Salafi rebel group. Both groups, with the urging of al-Qaeda central leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, seek to make an Islamic state across... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/2013/02/benghazi-testimony-reveals-lack-of-coordination Thu, 7 Feb 2013 17:34:31 EST According to testimony Thursday to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta spoke with President Obama at the outset of the Benghazi attack during a pre-scheduled meeting, but not again until the attacks were over. Panetta and... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/12872/israeli-elections-and-the-peace-process Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST In the run up to the Israeli elections, the great fear discussed by pundits the world over was that Israelis would take a drastic turn to the political right at the polls. This, it was felt, would torpedo any chance of reviving the peace process and give... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/12854/inside-the-israeli-elections Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:00:00 EST Leave it to the Israeli electorate to produce such a complicated election result that confounded most analysts' projections. In general, the election was more about specific political personalities than it was about clear political and policy agendas.... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/12629/should-washington-promote-middle-east-democracy Tue, 4 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST The role America should play in Syria's current uprising is a deeply contentious issue in Washington on both sides of the political divide. It has given rise to a debate over what became known as America's "Freedom Agenda" during the George W. Bush... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/12449/america-credibility-problem-with-iran Mon, 22 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST In recent weeks, Iran has been ratcheting up pressure on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing its inspectors of spying and sabotage, and threatening to further restrict the agency's access to its nuclear facilities. The target of the... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/12412/comparing-the-candidates-positions-on-iran Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST Republican hopeful Governor Mitt Romney laid out his vision for American foreign policy in his October 2012 address entitled, "The Mantle of Leadership," and it demonstrated a different understanding of the U.S. role in international affairs than the... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/2012/06/syria-escalating-violence-promises-further Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:20:51 EST Explosions rocked the city of Damascus on Thursday after alleged members of Syria's opposition group detonated a bomb at the Justice Palace, injuring three people. Gunmen possibly affiliated with the rebels also stormed a pro-government television... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/11748/jihad-central-in-syria Thu, 24 May 2012 09:00:00 EST With the 15-month old demonstrations in Syria descending into a civil war, the mounting death toll has topped 10,000. Accompanying the chaos on the ground is a sharp increase in suicide bombings since December 2011. The May 10 twin suicide car bombing in... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/11669/flunking-the-syria-test Thu, 10 May 2012 09:00:00 EST With the Syrian uprising now past its one-year anniversary, it's long past time to take stock of the carnage. More than 7,000 people have been killed to date by the Assad regime, as it has unleashed war on its own people. The spark that lit the fire was... http://www.matthewrjbrodsky.com/11616/consistently-inconsistent-on-syria Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST A look at some recent statements from the Obama administration on the situation in Syria illuminates just how lost American foreign policy is in the Middle East. Last week, in referring to Kofi Annan's still-born UN-sponsored plan and the failed monitor...