Opposition in Iran Doesn’t Want Your Money

The Obama administration has come under a lot of fire from people outside of the neo-conservative political spectrum for continuing many of Bush’s foreign policy initiatives. But recently, the administration cut off funding to Iran Democracy Fund conceived by the Bush administration to distribute money to opposition forces in Iran.
Is this a slap in the [...]

We’ll Never Hear the End of It At Home

Way to go Norwegians!
I need to go on the record as saying that I’m not in favor of Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. There are so many many reasons why I think it was a bad idea. Please enjoy a nice little list of those reasons as said by various news outlets and [...]

Viva la (r)Evolucion!

Although I haven’t yet posted on the situation in Iran, I have been faithfully observing. Its absolutely thrilling and I am so proud of both the Iranian people for their dedication and to President Obama for keeping relatively quiet on the situation while still condemning the Iranian government. I don’t think its necessary for me [...]

Demilitarize This!

Obama’s speech in Cairo threw down the gauntlet for Israeli leaders to respond.  The New York Times observed that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech was as much done for the Israeli evening news as it was for the Obama administration.  I found it boring, infuriating, and tend to agree with Aliyana Traison of Haaretz that it [...]

Obama Talks the Right Talk

Cairo is an ancient city that has become a modern urban hub of the Arab world. It is the primary place to produce Arabic pop music, the favored study abroad location for Americans looking to study the Arab world, and the birth place of Pan Arabism and the Muslim Brotherhood. Ponder all those contradictions for [...]

Reaction to Obama’s Cabinet Picks

Obama has recently unveiled more members of his cabinet, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to share my reactions to some of his picks thus far.
Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton
While I’m glad he picked someone with whom he does clash on some foreign policy issues, I don’t think Sen. Clinton is appropriate [...]

Obama’s Election Didn’t Defeat al-Qaeda, Surprise!

Al-Qaeda has released a new tape directed at the US administration, and many are calling it a “mild” approach.
In the tape, the leader of al-Qaeda’s Iraqi division “calls on the incoming US administration and allied Western leaders to embrace Islam, withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and release Muslim prisoners from there and from Guantanamo [...]

(Re)Discovering Iraq: Restoring Sovereignty or Undermining Security?

Members of Iraq’s 37-member cabinet voted on Sunday to approve a security agreement setting conditions for the U.S. presence in Iraq.

The Latest Deal
The Iraqi Cabinet has agreed to a new pact with the US military. The terms of the pact are an agreement to place US troops in Iraq under the authority of the [...]

I Feel A Change A-Coming…

I hope I’m not getting too excited too early, but Obama is already making detailed plans to undo some key Bush policies. That may be a clear indicator of partisanship on my behalf to some, but really I see it as a big step forward for American leadership.
The priorities, as listed by the BBC are [...]

Winning Minds in Afghanistan

Here’s a story that demonstrates that there’s much more than just a fight for security at stake in Afghanistan.
BBC reporter Jill McGivering interviewed a local shopkeeper in the province of Helmand. He says the international forces have not helped, but instead made violence worse. Asked if he would rather have the Taleban in control, he [...]