February 21, 2017

US Ground Troops for Syria: A Really Bad Idea

The president is being asked by the Pentagon to provide U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS in Syria.  If the president is wise, he will run as fast as he can the other way. There are four potential traps here: The cost in American lives; ...

January 4, 2017

Trump Is Right about the Russian Hacking Case

President-elect Donald Trump expressed skepticism over reports that Russia hacked the U.S. election. It is well-known that Russia -- and China, and various of our friends and allies -- spend a lot of time and effort trying to access American military...

October 22, 2016

Turkey's Wars

Turkish air and ground forces are attacking northern Syria.  The target is not ISIS – the presumed threat to Turkish interests – but rather Kurdish forces that have borne the brunt of anti-ISIS ground fighting and are key to the batt...

September 10, 2016

Is It Time to Turn the Tables on Iran?

On April 24, 2004 the USS Firebolt, a Cyclone-class coastal patrol boat in the Persian Gulf, launched a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RIB) when its crew observed a dhow -- a traditional boat, in this case likely owned by Iran -- fast approaching...

August 8, 2015

The Writing is On the Wall for the U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf

The long U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt is likely drawing to a close. What once worked to assure stability in the region and keep the oil flowing will not work in the face of Iranian nuclear capability, and the ad...

July 31, 2015

Does Iran Already Have Nuclear Weapons?

What happens to the Iran nuclear deal if Iran already has a nuclear weapon? Both Iran and North Korea were part of the A.Q. Kahn proliferation network, and bilateral trade in oil and weapons has continued despite UN resolutions designed to stop it...

July 16, 2015

The Iran Deal: Making War More Likely?

The deal is done. Iran has sort-of promised it won’t build nuclear weapons, but even the promise has serious caveats: Iran can continue to build weapons platforms to deliver the non-existent weapons; it can cooperate with friendly countries to ...

May 21, 2015

Iran: The Back Door to Enrichment

It would seem that Iran holds the cards in the nuclear negotiation with the P5+1, primarily because the U.S. is the overeager suitor.  The Framework agreement, the basis for the final deal, does not prevent Iran from designing nuclear warheads o...

August 6, 2014

'Gotcha': Spying on the Americans

Der Spiegel, the German newsmagazine, reported that Israel spied on Secretary of State John Kerry's phone calls while Kerry was in Paris with representatives of Qatar and Turkey, trying to arrange a ceasefire for Gaza. It appears straightforward....

November 23, 2013

American Football: Helmets, Cracked Eggs, and a Red Card

American football is a violent game and it is rare that one ends without injury. A dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, cracked collarbones, or a torn ACL -- this and more is what we watch on the weekends. Aiming for the quarterback is axiomatic. If de...

August 23, 2013

Reacting to Chemical Weapons

It is hard to look at the photographs. American newspapers are showing largely sanitized versions, so you're safe. But Twitter feeds and UK newspapers such as the Daily Mail don't hesitate to show the full horror. Hundreds of beautiful children, all ...

January 16, 2012

Could Iran Close the Strait?

During the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, the United States "reflagged" a number of Kuwaiti oil tankers passing through the narrow and dangerous Strait of Hormuz.  The confidence inspired by that action encouraged other tankers to make the trip, an...

December 24, 2011

How to Control Spy Software

The Jerusalem Post reported on December 23rd that spy software made in Israel ended up in Tehran and was being used by the Iranian government to spy on dissidents and others targeted by the regime. The story recounts how such spy software from the U....