Copyright 2010 Michael Rubin Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:40:01 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Michael Rubin :: Writings http://www.michaelrubin.org mrubin@aei.org (Michael Rubin) webmaster@pundicity.com en-us http://www.michaelrubin.org/6889/iraq-watershed-election Mon, 1 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST After the Iraqi parliament banned 500 candidates from contesting the March 7 national elections, Vice President Joseph Biden rushed to Baghdad to urge Iraqi political leaders to reconsider. While the ban has fueled U.S. cynicism about Iraqi democracy,... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6898/taking-tea-with-the-taliban Sun, 1 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST Addressing the nation on December 1, 2009, President Barack Obama laid out the case for an augmented American presence in Afghanistan to battle the Taliban forces seeking to push their way back into power. "Over the last several years, the Taliban has... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6710/iran-syria-hezbollah-axis Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST The 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel took not only outside observers by surprise, but also Israel and the government of Lebanon. A day after an operation in which Hezbollah killed five Israeli soldiers and captured two others, the Israel Defense... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6637/not-nearly-enough-on-afghanistan Tue, 1 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST Announcing the results of his administration's first policy review on Afghanistan more than eight months ago, President Barack Obama declared, "I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6606/syria-islamist-terrorism Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST While the Obama administration and congressional leaders may justify renewed engagement with Syria with their desire to jumpstart the Middle East peace process, they ignore the very issue that lies at the heart of the Syrian threat to U.S. national... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6530/forgetting-the-fall Fri, 6 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST President Barack Obama has RSVPed "nein" to Chancellor Merkel's invitation to Germany to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. National Review Online asked Michael Rubin and a few other experts what this snub reveals about... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6379/human-rights-iran-diplomacy Wed, 7 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST Iranians who took to the streets this summer to protest electoral fraud failed to win a new election. But they nevertheless returned concerns about the Islamic republic's human rights record to the international stage. On June 20, U.S. President Barack... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6365/bad-options-on-iran Mon, 5 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST On October 1, President Barack Obama ascended the podium in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House and declared negotiations with Iran a tentative success. "The P5-plus-1 is united, and we have an international community that has reaffirmed its... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6343/more-than-talk-iran-stonewalling Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST Tomorrow, U.S. diplomats and their Russian, Chinese and European counterparts will join Iranian officials to discuss the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. The meeting follows new Iranian missile tests and exposure of a second covert Iranian nuclear... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6164/british-government-lockerbie-bomber Wed, 2 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST On Aug. 20, Scottish authorities freed Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only man convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie. Even though he was sentenced to life in prison, he served just over 11 days for each... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6557/listening-to-freedoms-voices Mon, 1 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST On January 21, 2005, George W. Bush looked out over the crowds gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol for his second inaugural and declared, "It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in... http://www.michaelrubin.org/6136/to-prosecute-or-not-to-prosecute Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST CIA interrogators should not face criminal charges. Those who seek to prosecute Bush officials and the CIA make two mistakes: First, like armchair dictators, they aim to impose their own definition of torture where no consensus exists. Further, they... http://www.michaelrubin.org/5871/us-central-eastern-europe Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST "Speaking at Ukraine House in downtown Kyiv on Wednesday, U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden declared, 'As we reset the relationship with Russia, we affirm our commitment to an independent Ukraine.' He then added: 'We recognize no sphere of influence, or... http://www.michaelrubin.org/5809/our-common-foe Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST Tear gas was still wafting through the streets of Tehran when, at a June 23 White House press conference, The Huffington Post's Nico Pitney conveyed an Iranian's question to President Obama: "Under which conditions would you accept the election of... http://www.michaelrubin.org/5784/kurdish-leaders-drunk-with-power Wed, 1 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST On June 12, Iranians voted for a president. While the Islamic Republic may not be a democracy, its leadership has always looked to the polls to bestow popular legitimacy. Ayatollah Ahmad Janati, chairman of the Guardian Council, for example, said just...