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Opinion Headlines

  1. Mideast. “Obama’s Mideast Vacuum.” [The Saudis invade Yemen as the Sunni-Shiite war escalates.] 3-27-15
  2. Mideast. “Another Syria Failure.” 9-8-15
  3. Mideast. “Syria’s Radiating Danger.” [Russia’s incursions into Turkey risk tension with NATO.] 10-7-15
  4. Mideast. LTE “Swords to Plowshares Unlikely Any Time Soon.” 10-10-12
  5. Mideast. “Blood in Ankara.” [Turkey is increasingly being pulled into the Syrian vortex.]  10-12-15
  6. Mideast. LTE. “U.S. Should Rethink Polity on Syria’s Assad.” 10-14-15
  7. Mideast. “A Path Out of the Middle East Collapse.” By Henry Kissinger. [With Russia in Syria, a geopolitical structure that lasted four decades is in shambles. The U.S. needs a new strategy and priorities.] 10-17-15
  8. Mideast. LTE. “On the Path Out of the Middle East Collapse.” 10-26-15
  9. Mideast. “Turkey Votes for the Strongman.” [“…a reminder of what happens when America’s refusal to act to stop chaos in places like Syria frightens allies into making unpalatable choices…”] 11-2-15
  10. Mideast. “Obama’s Syrian Illusions.” [The U.S. says it has Putin and Assad right where it wants them.] 11-3-15
  11. Mideast. “Obama’s Middle East Escapism.” By Robert B. Zoelick. [The region is descending into disorder while John Kerry holds talk in Vienna that will achieve little.]   11-6-15
  12. Mideast. LTE. “Quagmires, Proxy Wars and the Syria Debacle.” 11-7-15
  13. Mideast. “Sisi Arrests the Press.” [Egypt’s President needs liberal friends as he fights Islamists.] 11-13-15
  14. Mideast. LTE. “Mideast, Europe Skirting the Edges of Chaos.” 12-7-15
  15. Mideast. LTE. “Policy Failure, Politics and the Middle East.” 3-1-16
  16. Mideast. “Learning from Vladimir.” By Bret Stephens. [American strategists might learn a thing or two from Russia’s in-and-out Syrian war.] 3-22-16.
  17. Mideast. Bookshelf by Robert D. Kaplan. “Freedom for Me But Not for Thee.”   “America’s War for the Greater Middle East.” By Andrew J. Bacevich. [From the end of World War II to 1980, virtually no U.S. soldiers were killed in the Mideast. Since 1990, it’s about the only place they’ve died.] 4-5-16
  18. Mideast. “’Mirror Imaging’ and America’s Dangerous Middle East Illusions.” By Henry A. Crumpton and Allison Melia. [Tehran and Riyadh don’t operate under Western assumptions: Religion is their political ideology.] 5-4-16
  19. Mideast. “Kerry’s Syria Offer.”  [The Secretary of State has a new sweetener for Vladimir Putin.]  7-16-16
  20. Mideast. “The Putin-Erdogan Entente.”  [The Kremlin tries to expand its Middle East influence.]  8-11-16
  21. Mideast. “Turkey Is No Longer a Reliable Ally.”  By Steven A. Cook and Michael J. Koplow.  [The failed coup was a clarifying moment.  Ankara and Washington don’t share values or interests.]  8-11-16
  22. Mideast. “The Only Syrian Solution.” By Bret Stephens. [A partition plan won’t solve everything. But the Balkan example shows it can work.] 9-6-16
  23. Mideast. “Pleading With Putin on Syria.” [The Kremlin’s main goal is to get Ukraine sanctions lifted.] 9-8-16
  24. Mideast. “Whether or Not in Syria.”  [Obama could arm our friends the Kurds, but he probably won’t.]  9-24-16
  25. Mideast. LTE “Iran Saudis Oppose Terrorism They Dislike.”  9-26-16
  26. Mideast. “Stop Assad Now – Or Expect Years of War.”  By John McCain.  [Ground the regime’s air force, create safe zones for Syrian civilians, and arm the opposition.]  10-5-16
  27. Mideast. “The U.S. and U.N. Have Abandoned Christian Refugees.”  By Nina Shea.  [The U.N.s next secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, says that persecuted Christians shouldn’t be resettled in the West.]  10-7-16
  28. Mideast. LTE.  “McCain’s Syria Plan:  Too Hard to Implement.”  10-12-16
  29. Mideast. LTE “U.N. Providing Care for Christian Refugees.” 10-12-16
  30. Mideast. “By all Means, Take Mosul but …”  by Mark Halperin.  [ISIS, like the matador’s red cape, distracts from the truly mortal danger – a nuclear Iran chanting ‘Death to America.’]  10-24-16
  31. Mideast. LTE.  “NATO-Run Safe Zones Could Stabilize Syria.”  10-25-16
  32. Mideast. “The Syrian Charnel House.”  [This is what the world looks like under the Putin-Iran axis.]  11-22-16
  33. Mideast. “The Middle East Won’t Miss Obama.”  By Hillel Fradkin and Lewis Libby.  [Many in the region, frustrated by Iran’s empowerment, welcome president Donald Trump.]  12-12-16
  34. Mideast. “A Trump Strategy to End Syria’s Nightmare.”  By Michael O’Hanion.  [Trump wants to collaborate with Russia – only works if Syria is broken up into autonomous zones] 12-16-16
  35. Mideast. “Where’s the Pope on Syria?”  by Wm. McGurn.  [No papal prayer vigils to protest the military solution Putin has imposed on Aleppo.]  12-27-16
  36. Mideast. “Peace of the Vultures in Syria.”  [Russia and Turkey divide up the spoils amid U.S. irrelevance.]  12-31-16
  37. Mideast. “Obama Abandoned the Middle East.  Trump Can Help Revive It.”  By Muhammad Al Misned.  [Opportunities for American Leadership in a region long beset with turmoil.]  1-5-17
  38. Mideast. “Syrian Kurds deserve a Seat at the Negotiating Table.”  By Stuart Rollo.  [President-elect Trump should arm the Kurds and fight for their autonomy in the region.]  1-9-17
  39. Mideast. “Mideast Rules For Jared Kushner.” By Bret Stephens. [Forget peace talks. Work on building an alliance of moderates and modernizers.] 2-14-17
  40. Mideast. “A Step Toward Mideast Peace: Tell the Truth.” [Netanyahu’s Washington visit is an opportunity to debunk pernicious falsehoods about Israel.] 2-15-17
  41. Mideast. “The Gulf States Are Ready for Peaceful Co-existence — If Iran Is.” By Yousef Al Otaiba. [With Washington now alert to the threat, we welcome greater U.S. engagement in the region.] 3-3-2017
  42. MidEast. “Syrian Chemical Repeat.” [Remember when Obama and Putin removed Assad’s gas weapons?] 4-5-17
  43. Mideast. Syria. “For Syria, words Won’t Be Enough.” By Paul Wolfowitz. [Trump says attacking civilians crosses ‘many lines.’ Will he back it up?] 4-6-17
  44. Mideast. “Palm Sunday Massacre.” [Why can’t Egypt’s government protect its Christian minority?] 4-10-2017
  45. Mideast. “The Price of Obama’s Mendacity.” By Bret Stephens. [The consequences of his administration’s lies about Syria are becoming clear.] 4-11-17
  46. Mideast. “What Comes After the Syria Strikes.” By Paul Wolfowitz. [With American credibility restored, Trump should lead a diplomatic effort to replace Assad.] 4-11-17
  47. Mideast. “Where Were the Pro-Refugee Protesters When Assad Gassed Syrians?” by Kassem Eid. [Trump has given my people hope, but if Americans truly care they can help remove Syria’s tyrant.] 4-12-17
  48. Mideast. “The Other Islamic State: Erdogan’s Vision for Turkey.” By Daniel Pipes. [The strongman wants to reverse the country’s secularization and cement his authoritarian rule.] 4-14-17
  49. Mideast. “Turkey’s Road to Serfdom.” [Self-government is on the ballot in Sunday’s referendum.] 4-15-17
  50. Mideast. “Saudis Know That U.S. Power Can Bring Lasting Peace.” By Abdullah Al-Saud. [Any apparent lack of resolve only encourages those who do not share America’s noble values.] 4-19-17
  51. Mideast. “The Two Faces of Qatar, a Dubious Mideast Ally.”  By Charles Wald and Michael Makovsky.  [Doha undermines U.S. security by sponsoring Islamic radicalism.]  4-25-17
  52. Mideast. LTE.  “How Many Muslim Refugees in Saudi Arabia?”   5-1-17
  53. Mideast. “Guns for the Syrian Kurds.”  [Trump’s move is worthwhile – but not without risks.]  5-12-17
  54. Mideast. “There’s No Such Thing as the ‘Arab Street.’  By Jonathan Schanzer.  [Suddenly, Middle Eastern intellectuals are coming to me for ‘ground truth.’]  5-16-17
  55. Mideast, Saudi Arabia, “Trump Goes to Saudi Arabia.” By Karen Elliott House.  [Given the badly frayed relations between the U.S. and Riyadh, the president is guaranteed a win.]  5-19-17
  56. Mideast. “Trump’s Middle East Reset.”  [His visit revives the U.S.-Saudi alliance and sends a message to Iran.]  5-22-17 Supreme Court.
  57. Mideast. “There’s Still time to Avert War in Lebanon.”  By Ron Prosor.  [Hezbollah’s strength has multiplied, and conflict is inevitable unless the world acts.]  5-30-17
  58. Mideast. “Syria’s Chemical Weapons Might Start a New Six Day War.”  By Asher Orkaby.  [In 1967, fear of a gas attack convinced Israel it had to destroy Egypt’s air force pre-emptively.]  6-5-17
  59. Mideast. “Qatar’s Reckoning.”  [Fellow Arab states are fed up with the Gulf monarchy’s mischief.]  6-8-17
  60. Mideast. “Qatar Cannot Have It Both Ways.” By Yousef al Otaiba.  [It owns a piece of the Empire State Building yet uses profits to promote extremism.]  6-13-17
  61. Regulations. “Attack of the Killer Petunias.”  By Henry Miller.  [Harmless flowers are destroyed since they were genetically modified but not Washington-approved.]  6-13-17
  62. Mideast. “Skirmishing Over Syria.”  [Putin, Iran and Assad test the Trump Administration] 6-20-17
  63. Mideast. “Islamic State Wages War on the Middle East’s Cultural Heritage.”  By Thomas Campbell.  [Just this week terrorists blew up Mosul’s Grand al-Nuri Mosque, which had stood since 1173.]  6-24-17
  64. Mideast. “Iran Won in Lebanon.  What About Iraq?”  by Danielle Pletka.  [Officials in Beirut see no alternative but to accommodate the Hezbollah militia.]  6-27-17
  65. Mideast. “America Needs a Post-ISIS Strategy.”  By John Bolton.  [The U.S. should recognize Iran and Russia as adversaries – and that Iraq isn’t a friend.]  6-29-17
  66. Mideast. “Trump’s Syria Muddle.”  [Iran and Russia won’t negotiate a cease-fire until they have to.]  7-24-17
  67. Mideast. “The Next Middle East War.”  [Israel and Iran are heading for conflict over southern Syria.]  9-8-17
  68. Mideast. “After Victory in Raqqa.”  [Iran stands to benefit from a post-caliphate U.S. withdrawal.]  10-21-17
  69. Mideast. “The Saudi Cauldron.”  [Weekend events show the Middle East conflicts to come.]  11-6-17
  70. Mideast. “A Strategy for the Post-ISIS Middle East.”  By Suzanne Maloney and Michael O’Hanion.  [The stakes are highest, and the current dilemmas most acute, in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Yemen and Jordan.]  11-8-17
  71. Mideast. “Putin’s Syria Play.”  [Trump and Tillerson are ceding the advantage to Russia and Iran.]  11-13-17
  72. Mideast. “Russia’s U.N. Trump Snub.”  [Moscow kills a chemical weapons investigation to help Syria’s Assad.]  11-20-17
  73. Mideast. “Trump’s Iran Strategy Needs Much Improvement.”  By Kenneth M. Pollack.  [To counter Tehran’s influence, start with Iraq and Syria – not the nuclear deal.] 11-20-17
  74. Mideast. “Trump Leads From Behind in Syria.”  By Dennis Ross.  [John Kerry trusted Russia.  The president should ask him how that worked out.]  12-5-17
  75. Mideast. “Fracking Our Way to Mideast Peace.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [Low Oil prices have so eroded Arab states’ power, they now see Israel as a protector.]  12-12-17
  76. Mideast. “The Qatar Quarrel Benefits the U.S.”  by Jonathan Schanzer.  [It’s not exactly a battle between moderates and radicals, but it could have a moderating effect.]  12-13-17
  77. Mideast. “In the Mideast, Trump Gives Reality a Chance.”  By Reuel Marc Merecht.  [The first step toward peace is to stop indulging the Palestinians’ fantasies of destroying Israel.]  12-27-17
  78. Mideast. “Trump and Syria After Islamic State.”  [Will the U.S. concede a strategic victory to Russia and Iran?]  12-29-17
  79. Mideast. “The U.N. Agency That keeps Palestinians From Prospering.” By Alex Joffe and Asaf Romirowsky. [The administration’s freeze on funds for Unrwa is a first step in breaking the Mideast stalemate.] 1-11-18
  80. Mideast. “Saber-Rattling in Syria.” [The Russians and Turks threaten the U.S. to abandon Syria’s Kurds.] 1-16-18
  81. Mideast. “If the Oslo Accords Are Over, the Real Work of Peace Can Begin.” By Oded Revivi. [Palestinians who work for Israeli companies or socialize with Israelis should not live in fear.] 1-18-18
  82. Mideast. “Testing Trump in Syria” [Turkey, Russia and Iran want to push the U.S. and its allies out.] 1-25-18
  83. Mideast. “The Iran-Israel War Flares Up.”   By Tony Badran and Jonathan Schanzer. [The fight is over a Qods Force presence on the Syria-Israel border. How will the U.S. respond?] 2-12-18
  84. Mideast. “Iran’s Syrian Front.” [Assad’s atrocities grow as Tehran builds a new anti-Israel satellite.] 2-22-18
  85. Mideast. “Putin’s U.N. Cover for Assad.” Mideast. Russia’s Attack on U.S. Troops. [Putin’s mercenaries are bloodied in Syria, as he tries to drive Trump out.] 2-23-18
  86. Mideast. Russia’s Attack on U.S. Troops. [Putin’s mercenaries are bloodied in Syria, as he tries to drive Trump out.] 2-24-18
  87. MIdeast. “Getting to Yes With Turkey.” By Walter Russell Mead. [There’s a common interest in countering the Russian-Iranian axis in Syria.] 3-13-18
  88. Mideast. “The Most Unnerving Visit to the Middle East in a Long Time.” By Lindsey Graham. [In Syria and Lebanon, Iran and its proxies escalate their threats to Israel, Sunni Arabs and the U.S.] 3-13-18
  89. Mideast. “Arab Leaders Abandon the Palestinians.” By Walter Russell Mead. [Facing threats from Iran and Turkey, they want peace – and to strangle Hamas.] 4-3-18
  90. Mideast. “Trump Defeats Assad…on Twitter. [But social media won’t stop the use of chemical weapons in Syria.] 4-9-18
  91. Mideast. “High Stakes in Syria.” [A token missile attack won’t deter the Assad-Iran-Russia axis.] 4-13-18
  92. Mideast. “Trump’s Next Syria Challenge.” [A single missile strike won’t stop the designs of Iran and Russia.] 4-16-18
  93. Mideast. “After the Syria Strike, a Strategy.” By Ryan Crocker and Michael O’Hanion. [A continued U.S. presence is a must, but Assad’s quick removal is too ambitious a goal.] 4-16-18
  94. Mideast. “Trump’s Realist Syria Strategy.” By Walter Russell Mead. [The president’s goal is to avoid bailing out without getting sucked in.] 4-17-18
  95. Mideast. “Use Iran Sanctions to Stop Assad.” By Mark Dubowitz and Richard Goldberg. [Allied cooperation in Syria offers a way to overcome differences over the nuclear deal.] 4-19-18
  96. Mideast. “Russia Risks a Wider Mideast War.” By Dennis Ross. [By outing Israel’s attack on Iran’s base in Syria, Moscow may provoke an escalation by Tehran.] 4-25-18
  97. Mideast. “Iran Wins in Lebanon.” [The election solidifies Hezbollah control on Israel’s border.] 5-8-18
  98. Mideast. “Is Trump Following A Grand Mideast Strategy?” by Daniel J. Arbess. [His approach to Israel, Arab allies and Iran makes it look that way. Syria will pose a major challenge.] 6-6-18
  99. Mideast.  “Help Is on the Way for Middle Eastern Christians.”  by Mark Green.  6-14-18
  100. Mideast.  “The Model for a Saudi Reformer.  By Karen Elliott House.  [Mohammed bin Salman, the young crown prince has much in common with his legendary grandfather.]  7-18-18
  101. Mideast.  “Arab Leaders Need to Step Up to Avert War in Gaza.”  By David Makovsky and Ghaith al-Omari.  [Hamas refuses to disarm, but pressure from outside could help strengthen the Palestinian Authority.]  8-7-18
  102. Mideast.  “Trump’s Syria Moment.”  [The looming massacre in Idlib shows the lack of U.S. leverage.]  9-5-2018
  103. Mideast.  “The World Must Stop Assad.”  By Recep Tayyip Erdogan. [If the Syrian regime attacks Idlib, the result will be a humanitarian and geopolitical disaster.]  9-11-18
  104. Mideast. “Putin’s Missiles for Syria.” [So much for the idea that Russia will help Israel against Iran.] 9-25-18
  105. Mideast.  “A Word From Mr. Kurd.”  By Majeed Gly.  [My people are ‘great fighters,’ but we are far more than that.]  10-2-18
  106. Mideast.  “The Palestinians’ Worst Enemy Is Their Own Leaders.”  By Elliot Kaufman.  [Human Rights Watch takes a break from Israel-bashing to examine abuses by Fatah and Hamas.]  10-31-18
  107. Mideast.  “Trump’s Syria-Iran Retreat.”  [Islamic State isn’t defeated, and the mullahs are delighted.]  12-20-18
  108. Mideast – Kurds.  “The Cost of Betraying Syria’s Kurds.”  by Tommy Meyerson.  [A U.S. pullout would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences and cause harm to U.S. interests.]  12-21-18
  109. Mideast.  “Trump’s Populist Schism Over Syria.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [His troop -withdrawal plan is politically risky.  The Republican base is more hawkish than isolationist.]  12-24-18
  110. Mideast.  “The Syria Fallout.”  [At least Trump says he’s not withdrawing troops from Iraq too.]  12-28-18
  111. Mideast.  “Beijing’s Curious Silence on the Syria Withdrawal.”  By Mike Singh.  [For all its bluster, China relies on the U.S.-led international order to secure its own interests.]  1-8-19
  112. Mideast.  “Early Withdrawal Will Lead to More Terrorism.”  By Bruce Hofman and Seth G. Jones.  [A recent lull in attacks is welcome, but is seems to have made American leaders complacent.]  1-11-19
  113. Mideast.  “Pompeo’s Words, Trump’s Withdrawal.”  [The vow to ‘expel every last Iranian boot’ in Syria rings hollow.]  1-12-19
  114. Mideast.   “Trump’s Mideast Strategy.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [Like Obama, he wants the U.S. to step back.  Unlike Obama, he wants to contain Iran.]  1-15-19
  115. Mideast.  “Wise Rethink on Syria.”  [Some 400 U.S. troops will stay in the country to deter ISIS and Iran.]  2-25-19
  116. Mideast.  “Troops in the Mideast Keep Terror Away.”  By Dan Crenshaw and Mike Gallagher.  [It’s tempting to draw back from the world, but the enemies of America aren’t about to reciprocate.]  2-25-19
  117. Mideast.  “Libya Can’t Take Another Tyrant.”  By Fayez Serraj.  [Tripoli’s Government of National Accord needs help to stop Khalifa Haftar in his attempted takeover.]  5-10-19
  118. Mideast.  “Assad Survives Thanks to Iranian Oil – and Egyptian Consent.”  By David Adesnik.  [Sanctions have stopped Tehran from selling its crude, but not from giving it to the Syrian dictator.]  6-12-19
  119. Mideast. “The Iran-Israel War Is Here.” By Jonathan Spyer. [More than a decade of civil strife has opened up the region for the escalating state-to-state conflict.] 8-28-19
  120. Mideast. “Lebanon, Hezbollah and Iran’s Emerging Client State.” By Tony Badran and Jonathan Schanzer. [The country was once a ‘safe have’ for terrorist organization. Now it’s fully entwined with one.] 9-19-19
  121. Mideast. “Trump’s Jacksonian Syria Withdrawal.” By Walter Russell Mead. [He isn’t the first president to try to pull America back from the Middle East.] 10-8-19
  122. Mideast. “With Friends Like the U.S.” [The Kurds helped to defeat ISIS. Trump leaves them to Erdogan.] 10-8-19
  123. Mideast. “Trump’s Reckless Rush to Withdraw.” By Peggy Noonan. [The Syria pullout boosts the impression that he’s all impulse, blithely operating out of his depth.] 10-12-19
  124. Mideast. “Trump’s Syria Mess.” [He resorts to sanctions as the harm from withdrawal builds.] 10-15-19
  125. Mideast. “Turkey Is Stepping Up Where Others Fail to Act.” By Recep Tayyip Erdogan. [Syria’s refugee flows, violence and instability have pushed us to the limit of our tolerance.] 10-15-19
  126. Mideast. “Putin Is the New King of Syria.” By Jonathan Spyer. [The U.S. withdrawal makes Russia the new arbiter of everyone’s interests, including Israel’s.] 10-17-19
  127. Mideast. “As America Leaves Syria, Iran Isn’t as Happy as You think.” By Ray Takeyh. [Tehran finds itself at cross-purposes with Damascus and Ankara as Baghdad slips away.] 10-21-19
  128. Mideast. “Erdogan’s Clean Sweep.” [Turkey gets what it wants in Syria, and Trump lifts sanctions.] 10-24-19
  129. Mideast. “Turkey May Go the Way of Venezuela.” By Daniel Pipes. [Erdogan is no friend ot America. He’s a dictator with strange ideas, not unlike Nicolas Maduro.] 10-24-19
  130. Mideast. “The Fighting Continues in Northern Syria.” By Jonathan Spyer. [The Kurds vow to defend themselves – alone of necessary – against Syria, Turkey and Russia.] 11-26-19
  131. Mideast. 12-3-19 Russia. “Don’t Let Russia Dominate Libya.” By Emily Estelle. [A Kremlin-backed strongman in Tripoli would be a disaster for UY.s. interests.] 12-3-19
  132. Mideast. “The U.S., Iraq and Iran.” [The Baghdad vote isn’t the last word on American Troops.] 1-6-20
  133. Mideast. “The Middle East Conflict You Haven’t Heard About.” By Nicholas Saidel. [Turkey and Egypt are feuding over the fate of Libya and who controls the regimes resources.] 2-10-20
  134. Mideast. “The Promise of the Trump Peace Plan.” By Nathan Sharansky And Gil Troy. [It Would bypass corrupt and dictatorial Palestinian leaders who have stalled the process since 1993.] 2-12-20
  135. Mideast. “Does the Arc of History Bend Toward Idlib?” by Walter Russell Mead. [Four million people cower as Assad advances, but the world is unmoved.] 2-25-20
  136. Mideast. “A Successful Mideast Nuclear Deal.” By Yousef Al Otaiba. [“…The U.S. – U.A.E. nuclear deal has worked.] 3-5-20
  137. Mideast.  “The Dreams of Youth.”  (Bookshelf by Michael Doran.)  “The Arab Winer.”  By Noah Feldman.  [In U.S. foreign policy, the promotion of democracy can’t override the basic logic of supporting friends an punishing enemies.]  6-11-20
  138. Mideast.  “The Arab World Needs American Support.”  By Firas Maksad.  [The U.S. should bolster Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates to contain Iran and Turkey.]   7-20-20
  139. Mideast.  “The Mideast Pudding Loses Its Theme.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [Shapeless and chaotic, the geopolitical situation looks little like it did at the end of the 20th century.]    7-30-20
  140. Mideast.  “Peace Progress in Yemen.”  [A settlement could undermine Iran’s regional designs.]   8-4-20
  141. Mideast.  “Trumps Mideast Breakthrough.”  [The Israel-UAE accord discredits Obama’s regional vision.]   8-14-20
  142. Mideast.  “The Art of a Mideast Deal.”  [Trump was willing to break with a failed conventional wisdom.]   9-16-20
  143. Mideast.  “Trump’s Middle East Metamorphosis.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [Arab leaders fear a President Biden may spurn Israel and cozy up to Turkey and Iran.]   10-20-20
  144. Mideast.  “Middle East Balancing At.”  (Bookshelf by Martin Peretz.)  “Crosswinds:  The Way of Saud Arabia.”  By Fouad Ajami.  [An exploration of the Saudi temper that has both the interpretative heft of scholarship and the anecdotal brilliance of literary travelogue.]   10-20-20
  145. Mideast.   “Iran Arms Embargo Reckoning.”  [Now that it has expired, how would Biden contain Tehran’s mischief?”  10-20-20
  146. Mideast.  “Mideast Peace Means Open Markets.”  By Andy Kessler.  [Keep your eye on Arab prospects:  Israel’s accords with neighbors are unleashing trade.]   11-9-20
  147. Mideast.  “The U.A.E. Needs U.S. Arms to Ward Off Iran.”  By John Bolton.  [Misguided opposition in the Senate bodes ill for U.S. Mideast policy in the Biden administration. ]   12-7-20
  148. Mideast.  “The Middle East’s Dual ‘Occupations.’”  By Eugene Kontorovich.  [The Israel-Morocco peace deal underscores a double standard on the West Bank versus Western Sahara.]    12-18-20
  149. Mideast.  “The Gulf Monarchies Draw Closer.”   [The Saudi-Qatari diplomatic truce is an opportunity for Biden.]   1-6-21
  150. Mideast.  “Beijing Fills the Mideast Vacuum.”   By Robert D. Kaplan.  [china’s projection of power isn’t only a regional concern.  It will eventually pose a threat to the U.S.]   1-21-21
  151. Mideast.  “In Mideast, Biden Returns to Abnormal.”  By Michael Doran.  [He revives the Obama policy of strengthening America’s enemies and harming its friends.]  2-5-21
  152. Mideast.  “Biden’s Yemen Gamble.”  [The Houthis escalate against the Saudis after a U.S. concession.]   2-9-21
  153. Mideast.  “Biden’s Commitment to Yemen.”  By Ahmed Awad BinMubarek.  [Eight years ago, he stood with us.  Times are harder, and we still need the U.S.]   2-10-21
  154. Mideast.  “Joe Biden Gets Tested in Iraq.”  [The world is watching how he responds to an attack on U.S. forces.]   2-17-21
  155. Mideast.  “Biden’s Mideast Concessions Backfire.”  [State emboldens the Houthis, but their attacks continue.]   3-2-21
  156. Mideast.  “Pope Francis Goes to Iraq.”  [The safety of religious minorities is a top Middle East challenge.]   3-8-21
  157. Mideast.  “Opportunity Beckons in the Mideast.”  By Jarrod Kushner.  [The Biden administration called Iran’s bluff early.  It should continue to play the strong hand it was dealt.]  3-15-21
  158. Mideast.  “How to Bring Peace to the New Middle East.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [Political shifts could resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.]    3-30-21
  159. Mideast.  “Cheer Up About the Middle East.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [Democracy hasn’t advanced but the U.S. has bolstered its regional interests.]   5-4-21
  160. Mideast.   “Israel, Hamas, Iran and Biden.”  [The U.S. needs to give Israel time to degrade the rocket threat.]   5-17-21
  161. Mideast.  “The U.S. Is Less Relevant Than Ever in Gaza.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [The conflict there isn’t going away, but the decline of Arab power is reshaping it.]   5-18-21
  162. Mideast.  “The Cross and the Crescent.”  (Bookshelf by Samuel Sweeney.)  “The Vanishing.”  By James di Giovani.  [An increase in attention to the plight of Christians in the Middle East must be matched by an increase in understanding.]   10-6-21
  163. Mideast.  “Another U.S. Embarrassment in Yemen.”  [Biden made concessions to the Houthis, who keep escalating the war.]  11-14-21
  164. Mideast.  “U.S. Needs Saudi Self-Defense.”  By Karen Elliott House.  [Without Interceptors for Riyadh, America risks making Iran stronger and driving oil prices up.]  12-10-21
  165. Mideast.  “Is the U.S. Repeating the Error of the Iraq Withdrawal?”  by Mike Watson.  [Regional Stability declined after the 2011 pullout, and the ‘pivot to Asia’ failed.  Sounds awfully familiar.]  12-17-21
  166. Mideast.  “The Golf War on the Arabian Peninsula.”  By David Schenker.  [The U.A. E. is the region’s leading destination for the sport, but Saudi Arabia is coming on strong.]  12-27-21
  167. Mideast.  “Why Russia and chin Build Up Iran.”  By Bryan Clark and Michael Doran.  [Though vulnerable, Tehran Is the ideal Middle East partner in an alliance to destroy the U.S.-led order.]  1-28-22
  168. Mideast.  “The Cost of Neglecting the Mideast.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [The Ukraine crisis reveals the folly of taking old American allies for granted.]  3-4-22
  169. Mideast.  “A Crisis in U.S. – Arab Relations.”  By Firas Maksad.  [Neither the Saudis nor the Emirates will take Biden’s calls.  The U.S. needs to recommit to the region.]   3-22-22
  170. Mideast.  “The West Has a Crucial Ally in Qatar.”  By Ben Hodges and Sam Munday.  [With America’s help, the country’s natural-gas reserves can wean Europe from Russian energy.]   5-2-22
  171. Mideast.  “Biden’s Mideast Opportunity.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [Putin’s failing war is a chance for the US. to rebuild an alliance crucial to its security.]  5-10-22
  172. Mideast.  “The Opportunity in the Ukraine Crisis.”  By Thomas S. Kaplan and Bernard-Henri Levy.   [Biden can revive America’s standing after the Afghan debacle.  The First step is to help the Kurds.]   5-16-22
  173. Mideast.  “A New threat in Iraq to Peace in the Middle East.”  By Joseph Braude.  [On his coming trip, Biden needs to confront Baghdad on its new law barring contact with all Israelis.]   6-6-22
  174. Mideast.  “Biden Should Have Stayed Home.”  By Karen Elliot House.  [His Saudi visit was worse than an embarrassment.  It did harm and could be a prelude to catastrophe.]   7-19-22
  175. Mideast.  “Mideast War Is Closer Than You think.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [Russia isn’t parked, Iran isn’t pacified, and both are coordinating strategies with China.]   2-28-23
  176. Mideast.  “Biden’s Failed deterrence in Syria.”  [Iran’s militias kill an American and get a feeble U.S. response.]   3-25-23
  177. Mideast.  “Biden Follows Jimmy Carter’s Failed Middle East Model.”  By Mike Watson.  [U.S. interests and regional stability suffer when the president harangues Israel rather than works with it.]   6-29-23
  178. Mideast.  “Palestinians Deserve a Passport.”  By Abdullah Ektileh.  [Arab countries won’t grant them citizenship.  Ny life attests that doing so would be a boon for all involved.]   7-20-23
  179. Mideast.   “Korea Is a Model For Middle East Peace.”  By Eli Cohen.  [The U.S. nuclear umbrella could shield Arab states from Iran, as it protects Seoul from Pyongyang.]   8-9-23
  180. Mideast.  “Biden’s New Approach to the Middle East.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [As Iran balks, Israel and Saudi Arabia are now seen a crucial to U.S. global strategy.]  8-15-23
  181. Mideast.  “Iran’s Nukes Are a Thorn for Saudi-Israeli Peace.”  By Richard Goldberg.  [The Biden administration can mollify Riyadh by restoring enrichment restrictions on Tehran.]   8-17-23
  182. Mideast.  “’Even Hitler,’ Says the Palestinian President.”  9-7-23
  183. Mideast.  “Bibi and MBS Make a Play for Mideast Peace.”  By Karen Elliott Houe.  [Diplomatic ties are in their interests and America’s but security threats could impede their efforts.]  9-15-23
  184. Mideast.  “War Returns to the Middle East.”  [Hamas’s surprise attack is a reminder of Israel’s existential peril.]  10-9-23
  185. Mideast.  “The ‘Ceasefire’ in Gaza Mirage.”   [Call for both sides to end the violence now are a license for Hamas.]   10-9-23
  186. Mideast.  “The Iran-Gaza War.”  By Eugene Kontorovich.  [This is the conflict Tehran wants – on Israeli soil, through once-removed marauding militias.]   10-9-23
  187. Mideast.  “Massacre at the Music Festival.”  [In a world where might determines right, the innocent aren’t spared.]   10-10-23
  188. Mideast.  “A Middle East Wake-Up Call.”  By Walter Russell Mead.”  [Hamas’s atrocities make complacency much harder to sustain.  But will we face up to the Iranian threat?]   10-13-23
  189. Mideast.  “Don’t Go Wobbly on Peace.”  By Nadim Koteich.  [The Mideast has reaped the fruits of friendship with Israel;  it mustn’t let Hamas poison the waters.]   10-13-23
  190. Mideast.  “Egypt Can Save Gaza’s Civilians.”  [But Cario won’t let Palestinians enter from its Rafah crossing.]  10-14-23
  191. Mideast.  “Appeasing Iran Has Failed.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [Obama and Biden’s effort at détente with Tehran destabilized the entire region.]  10-17-23
  192. Mideast.  “America Isn’t at War, but Iran Is.”  By Wm. McGurn.  [Tehran largely escapes accountability because proxies do the dirty work.]   10-17-23
  193. Mideast.  “Palestinian Lives Matter, Except t Hamas.”  [Responsibility for civilian casualties in Gaza lies with the jihadists.]   10-17-23
  194. Mideast.  “Anti-Zionism Is a More Malevolent Form of Anti-Semitism.”  By Ruth R. Wissie.  [It not only butchers Jews but consigns Palestinian civilians to the role of cannon fodder.]   10-17-23
  195. Mideast.  “Biden Speaks, but Will He Act?”  [Iran’s proxies are shooting at Americans without a response.]   10-21-23
  196. Mideast.  “The Arab Oil Embargo and Bad Policy’s 50th Birthday.”  By Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.  [America got cleaner air and in every other way a straight line to today’s EV boondoggle.]   10-21-23
  197. Mideast.  “Qatar Is the Mideast’s Honest Broker.”  By Meshal bin Haimad Al Thania.  [We don’t endorse Hamas and have been targets of a campaign of disinformation.]   10-30-23
  198. Mideast.  “A Saudi-Israeli Peace Deal Isn’t Dead.”  By Karen Elliot House.  [The Gaza war makes it more difficult but also reminds officials of the horrifying alternative.]   10-30-23
  199. Mideast.  “About Those Non-Terrorist Houthis.”  [A U.S. warship has to defend itself against Iran’s Yemen militia.]   12-4-23
  200. Mideast.  “Biden Endangers U.S. Troops.”  [Three more are hurt, as U.S. bases became enemy drone catchers.]   12-27-23
  201. Mideast.  “America Needs a Middle East Strategy.”  By Seth Cropsey.  [The U.S. can bring the Gulf Arabs closer while doing much more to contain the Iran menace.]   12-27-23
  202. Mideast. “’Shrapnel Struck Garrett in the Head.’”  [Army pilot Garrett Illerbrunn is a casualty of failed U.S. deterrence.]  1-6-24
  203. Mideast.  “Washington Can’t Let the Houthis Take Yemen.”  By Kenneth M. {Pollack and Katherine Zimmerman.  [Their Red Sea shipping assault shows they pose a threat to U.S. interests.  So let’s pose one to theirs.]   1-9-24
  204. Mideast.  “Hitting the Houthis, at Last.”  [It may take more than one military strike to restore U.S. deterrence.]   1-13-24
  205. Mideast.  “The Houthis Vote Early.”  By Daniel Henninger.  [Iran’s mullahs saw the moment was right to strike at U.S. global leadership.]   1-18-24
  206. Mideast.  “Biden, Iran and Three Dead Americans.”  [The Commander in Chief’s weakness puts his Presidency at risk.]  1-29-24
  207. Mideast.  “The Middle East Is Biden’s Worst Crisis.” By Walter Russell Mead.  [The region is on fire because the U.S. bid for détente with Iran has utterly failed.]   1-30-24
  208. Mideast.  “Three U.S. Soldiers Die in Biden’s Middle East Muddle.”  By Seth Cropsey.  [To avoid more casualties, the U.S. needs a coherent strategy for the region – and a bigger Navy.]   1-31-24
  209. Mideast.  “Tower 22, You’re on Your Own.”  By Matthew Hennessey.  [Why did the U.S. leave soldiers defenseless in the middle of Jordan?]   2-5-24
  210. Mideast.  “Mideast Failure Leads Biden Back to Trump Policies.”  By David Schenker.  [The president has moved away from reversals on Unrwa, the Houthis, Iran sanctions and more.]   2-14-24
  211. Mideast.  “Biden’s Middle East Is a Fantasy World.”  By Amit Segal.  [He imagines Palestinians are eager for peace and Israel’s government is at odds with its people.]   3-14-24
  212. Mideast.   “To Thwart Iran, Fight a War of Attrition.”  By Seth Cropsey.  [Israel and the U.S. should focus their strengths on Tehran’s weaknesses by jeopardizing its proxies.]   3-28-24
  213. Mideast.  “Iran’s Ominous Attack on Israel.”  [U.S. deterrence fails again, as Biden tries to restrain Israel.]   4-15-24
  214. Mideast.  “War Between Israel and Iran Is Inevitable.”  “By Seth Cropsey.  [The question is now or later.  Strategy argues for now, even if the politics might be better later. ]   6-26-24
  215. Mideast.  “Team Biden Can Help Mideast Peace.”  By Walter Russell Mead.  [A compelling vision might move Israelis and Palestinians to try a new approach.]   8-6-24
  216. Mideast.  “War Maneuvers in the Middle East.”  [As Iran prepares an attack on Israel, Hamas rejects compromise.]   8-13-24

Issue Headlines

Middle East. “ A Crisis of Two Civilizations.”  Wall Street Journal “Review Section” C1, Saturday, 9-12-15. [Where to find the roots of today’s humanitarian disaster? In the Middle East’s failure to come to terms with modernity and in Europe’s failure to recognize and defend its ideals.] [“The Arab world has tried a succession of ideologies and forms of government – and none of them has worked.”]

Middle East. “ America’s Fading Footprint.”   Wall Street Journal “Review Section” C1, Saturday, 10-10-15. [As Russia Bombs and Iran plots, the U.S. role in the Middle East is shrinking – and the region’s major players are looking for new ways to advance their own interests.] [“Where the U.S. once was, we are now gone – and in our place, we have Iran, Iran’s Shiite proxies, Islamic State and the Russians.”]

Mideast. Drudgereport.com 10-17-15 Geopolitical structure in shambles…

Mideast. Drudgereport.com.  6-19-17

TENSIONS RISE IN SYRIA RUSSIA THREATENS US AIR FORCE JETS

Mideast. “The Next Middle East War.”  [Israel and Iran are heading for conflict over southern Syria.]  9-8-17

Campaign Consideration

Talking Points

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