In the Financial Times, columnist Philip Stephens praises US Secretary of State John Kerry’s efforts in the service of the Israel-Palestine peace process, despite seemingly overwhelming odds against him. Listing a litany of recent failures in US and European foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa, Stephens imagines how much worse things might be […]
Crocker: Keep Syrian conflict contained and in context
Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who has served in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, says that the current war between Bashar al-Assad’s regime and an array of opposition factions should be understood in the context of a three-decade-long regional conflict, rather than that of the “Arab Spring.” He also argues that the call for America to “do something” […]
Comment: Syria’s Civil War and Obligations of International Law
Eric Alterman of the Center for American Progress has briefly and cogently summarized pertinent facts regarding the Syria crisis as well as proposals of various US politicians. He has also set out three steps that he and colleagues recommend be taken by the US at once. These are: Demand an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting […]
The “DC Op-Ed”: dumbing down important policy decisions?
Joshua Foust‘s post on Syria today completely undermines the current surge of op ed writers campaigning for military intervention. In doing so he also makes a significant contribution to scientific analysis of the “DC Op-Ed” phenomenon. Commenting on Michael O’Hanlon’s op-ed for USA Today, Foust notes: “A poorly-thought out DC Op-Ed can miscast a problem, […]