Scribbling, scribbling, scribbling on the Internet.
We have known for some time that American relations with Saudi Arabia are less than ideal. Despite Barack Obama's promise back in 2008 that he would cause people the world over--especially those people located within the borders of nation-states allied with the United States--to like us once again (presuming that we were as hated as …
Continue reading "Another Diplomatic Setback (Saudi Arabia Edition)"
American foreign policy is--to put matters bluntly--in free-fall. The United States is significantly less able to influence events around the world, it is not trusted or respected by allies, and it has undermined its negotiating position with Iran in the nuclear talks by making it abundantly clear that it is desperate for a deal. If …
Continue reading "The Decline and Fall of American Foreign Policy"
1. One of the criticisms most often leveled at Israel and her supporters is the claim that Israel's actions in Gaza are costing it potential allies in the Arab world.Um . . . no.Battling Palestinian militants in Gaza two years ago, Israel found itself pressed from all sides by unfriendly Arab neighbors to end the …
Recall the following from my post on the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 (excerpted from this site): Even with improvements, the interim agreement fails to bring Iran into compliance with its key international legal obligations as spelled out in United Nations Security Council resolutions. The agreement comes closest on compliance with the resolutions’ requirement …
Continue reading "That Interim Deal with Iran Sure Didn’t Last Long!"
By now, you have likely heard that the United States and five other countries (Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany--also known as "the P5+1 ," with "P5" standing for the permanent five members of the United Nations Security Council), have entered into an interim nuclear deal with Iran. The deal's provisions are supposed to expire …
It is a fundamental tenet of realist theory (and I identify as a classical realist, though I have a healthy and pronounced respect for the notion that international anarchy also causes nation-states to place interests over ideological considerations) that while domestic considerations--such as a change in the nature of a nation-state's government, or a change …
