When U.S. President Joe Biden participates in his first summit between the United States and the European Union tomorrow in Brussels, he should keep the focus on the big picture. While easing bilateral irritants would improve the tone of relations in the short term, the real test will be whether …
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2021
An Anxious Erdogan Tries to Make Nice With the West
Weeks before U.S. President Joe Biden met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Erdogan vowed that the meeting would be transformative. In a virtual gathering with American investors last month, he predicted that the encounter would “herald a new era.” It was no …
Read More »Biden’s Tour of Europe Leaves a Lot of Unfinished Business
“America is back at the table,” President Joe Biden said at a press conference Sunday in Cornwall following his first G-7 summit. That statement perhaps best encapsulated Biden’s message during his maiden voyage overseas. While he didn’t mention his predecessor by name, the contrast with Donald Trump couldn’t have been …
Read More »Iran’s Engineered Election Leaves Reformists With No Good Options
Iranians will go to the polls this Friday to choose the successor to centrist President Hassan Rouhani, who is winding down his second four-year term and cannot run for reelection. The polls will take place in an atmosphere of widespread public apathy, as voters choose from a list of presidential …
Read More »The Biden Administration’s Iran Policy: All Carrots, No Stick
Secretary of State Antony Blinken… stated at his inauguration hearing that he had “deep concern about the designation” of the Houthis as a terrorist organization, in that “at least on its surface it seems to achieve nothing particularly practical in advancing the efforts against the Houthis and to bring them …
Read More »Islamic Jihad: We’ll hit back if Israel continues Gaza strikes
Terror leader issues threat if Israel doesn’t stop retaliating for balloon-borne attacks, end blockade on enclave; says Gaza groups have already formulated plan of action A senior member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad said Saturday that Gaza terror groups have sent a message to Egyptian mediators warning of a violent response …
Read More »Two decades on, Israel confronts legacy of ‘forgotten’ south Lebanon occupation
Now that the 18-year period is recognized as a campaign, with a medal for its soldiers, some security zone veterans look back and find unexpected relevance for them and the country On the night of May 24, 2000, Brig. Gen. Benny Gantz passed through a gate in the fence between …
Read More »Head of defense panel: Iran’s Raisi will be a ‘big challenge’ for Israel, West
Ex-Mossad deputy chief Ben-Barak says hardliner’s election as president is proof of Iran’s radicalization on nuclear, terror policies; Putin quick to congratulate ultraconservative The head of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee said Saturday that the election of hardliner Ebrahim Raisi as Iran’s president would present a challenge for …
Read More »Geneva Summit: Leading from the front while dealing with media
Two leaders of two great nations meet at a neutral venue known for its peaceful locales and absolute neutral position world over. President Joe Biden of the United States and President Vladimir Putin of Russian Federation came to Geneva for their first face to face meet after the United States …
Read More »Modest results of the meeting in Geneva
Presidents Joseph Biden and Vladimir Putin met in Geneva on Wednesday, June 16. Both separately noted that the talks went well. “There’s been no hostility,” Putin said. “On the contrary, our meeting took place in a constructive spirit.” Biden meanwhile declared “the tone of the entire meeting… was good. Positive.” …
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