R.I.P. Rex Tillerson
For those who decried Rex Tillerson’s 14 month tenure as Secretary of State, those who wanted a more aggressive advocate in foreign affairs, those who wanted more of the empty slots filled at Foggy...
View ArticleHolder and Mueller Spent $7.8 Million Taxpayer Dollars on Personal Travel
With income tax season in the U.S. in full swing, all thoughts turn to cheating. It has been said that perhaps some Americans are not fully honest on their tax reporting. Some may “forget” to report...
View ArticleThings Fall Apart: Iraq
The mistakes of U.S. foreign policy are mostly based on the same flawed idea: that the world is a chessboard on which the U.S. makes moves, or manipulates proxies to make moves, that either defeat,...
View ArticleJohn Kerry Accidentally Sanctions Self
“I’m still not sure exactly what happened,” said gaffe-prone, beleaguered Secretary of State John Kerry, “but I’m told I agreed to sanctions on myself.” In an exclusive, Kerry explained his mistake....
View ArticleKerry Says U.S. Troops Could Deploy to Iraq
For those who argued with the theory about a month ago that interceding in Iraq for “humanitarian purposes” to help the Yazidis was just a subterfuge to have the U.S. re-enter a messy war that...
View ArticleHearts, Minds and Dead Sunnis in Iraq
A critical part of America’s plan to resolve all issues left unresolved after nine years of war and occupation is to divide the indigenous Sunnis from the “foreign” Sunnis, i.e., ISIS, and “unite”...
View ArticleIraq: How Many Turning Points and Milestones Until We Win?
Meanwhile, 71 percent of Americans now support airstrikes in Iraq, and 65 percent in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the formation of a new Iraqi government was “a major milestone” for...
View ArticleFighting in Iraq Until Hell Freezes Over
I wanted to offer a wry chuckle before we headed into the heavy stuff about Iraq, so I tried to start this article with a suitably ironic formulation. You know, a déjà-vu-all-over-again kinda thing. I...
View ArticleThe Future of Mosul is Kobane
It was necessary to destroy the Syrian town of Kobane (above) in order to save it from ISIS. The rubble and ruin of what was once a place more than 200,000 people lived is now free. Want to know the...
View ArticleIs the U.S. Paying Off Iran to Keep the Nuke Negotiations Alive?
Negotiations require some back and forth, demonstrations of good will and good intent, and massive pay offs. Wait, what? The Obama administration in January handed over $490 million in cash to Iran,...
View ArticleThe Iranian Ascendancy
The U.S. is running around in circles in the Middle East, patching together coalitions here, acquiring strange bedfellows there, and in location after location trying to figure out who the enemy of its...
View ArticleIran Nuclear Accord: Balance of Power in the Middle East Just Changed
Don’t sweat the details of the July nuclear accord between the United States and Iran. What matters is that the calculus of power in the Middle East just changed in significant ways. Washington and...
View ArticleMini-World War Underway in Syria: The Players
While Secretary of State John Kerry (personal slogan: “Did you know I was still Secretary of State?”) bleats about reaching some sort of imaginary ceasefire with the Russians during negotiations in...
View ArticleKerry Phones Serbian PM Over Diplomats Killed in U.S. Libya Strike
So, those American airstrikes recently in Libya, the ones for freedom and to defeat ISIS and banish Ant Man to hell? Yeah, darn it, they also killed two Serbian diplomats. But don’t worry, America’s...
View ArticleState Dept Staffs Syria Ceasefire Violations Hotline — With Non-Arabic Speakers
Is there a better way to ensure no troublesome violations of John Kerry’s signature ceasefire in Syria get reported than by staffing the hotline where violations are to be reported by Syrians with...
View ArticleState Department Shoots Itself in the Foot at Impeachment Hearings
The State Department, where I worked 24 years as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) and diplomat, reminds me a lot of my current hometown, New York City. Both places spend an inordinate amount of time...
View ArticleRequiem for the U.S. Department of State, Part I of II
Saying “Mike Pompeo” out loud feels odd, like mouthing the name of an old girlfriend, or shouting out your GMail password. It just feels wrong in your mouth, because what’s Mike or the State...
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