From WWII to Afghanistan, and the Iron Lady.
Emphasis Added: The Foreign Policy Week in Pieces (4/12)
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Afganistan
We’re Not Broke
These revenue-raisers and spending cuts would narrow the federal budget deficit by $881 billion per year, nearly eliminating it altogether.
U.S. Only Lightening Grip on Reins of Afghan Night Raids
Whether U.S. or Afghan-led, night raids are still night raids.
Are 24 Pakistani Soldiers Dead Because of the “Fog of War” or a Calculated Strike?
The NATO border attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers: “fog of war” incident or a calculated hit aimed at torpedoing peace talks in Afghanistan?
Afghanistan: U.S. and Pakistan Seek to Reinforce a Border That Was Arbitrary to Begin With
Pakistan has neither the manpower nor the money to fortify its border with Afghanistan.
Jihadi Butch Cassidy
We have, once again, played right into Osama bin Laden’s hands. This might seem like an odd assertion, since the al-Qaeda mastermind is finally dead at the hands of U.S. Special Forces, most heads of state have voiced their congratulations, and practically the entire U.S. citizenry is unified in celebration. But Osama bin Laden always understood that the weak use the weapons of the powerful against them, such as U.S. airplanes against U.S. skyscrapers.
The Undead Chicken
Muammar Gaddafi is the undead chicken. Bashar al-Assad of Syria and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain are the unscared monkeys. The United States has shaped its policy toward the evolving situation in the Middle East according to the Chinese proverb of “killing the chicken to scare the monkey.” The Obama administration has intervened in the conflict in Libya with the apparent goal of punishing Gaddafi for cracking down on the emerging protest movement back in February. This intervention was designed to send a message to other autocrats in the region: don’t fire on your unarmed opposition — or else. But the United States and its allies are having problems with the “or else” part of the equation.
Using Islamophobia as a Pretext for Withdrawing From Afghanistan
According to a prominent national-security expert, if a clash of cultures is inevitable, U.S. foreign policy must reflect the inherent antagonism.
Aid Worker Linda Norgrove Victim of the “Entebbe Fantasy”?
Politicians seeking credit for a sensational rescue may have helped condemn Linda Norgrave.
The Petraeus Bait and Switch Maneuver
By openly defying President Obama’s timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan, Gen. Petraeus is cementing his unprecedented power over U.S. war policy.