If President Obama wants his legacy to be as a peacemaker, Iran must be the place to start.
Reset Relations with Iran
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On the Fence about Syria? Read This!
Some progressives remain conflicted about how the United States should respond to Syria's increasingly violent civil war. This internal division has only deepened as the Obama administration considers launching a military strike on Bashar al-Assad for an alleged...
Table the Red Line
One year after President Obama declared that Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons would cross a “red line,” Syria stands accused of carrying out a cruel sarin gas attack against opposition groups and activists, killing hundreds of people in rebel-held East and...
Forget Red Lines: Obama Should Eat His Words on Syria
The good news? President Obama’s surprise decision to consult Congress about launching a U.S. strike on Syria has returned crucial powers to the people’s representatives, allowing a much-needed public discussion about the U.S. stake—or lack thereof—in Syria’s civil...
The Suffering Grasses: Remembering the Other Syria
By the time you read this, we may already be at war. Syrian forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad now stand accused of deploying chemical weapons against Syrian civilians in a Damascus suburb. Though they have long clamored for U.S. intervention in the conflict,...
The Gas of August: Syria and Regional Conflagration
I’ve always thought that Bashar Al-Assad often has an uncomfortable look on his face, as if he never envisioned he would be Syria’s president, and never quite got accustomed to the idea. This make sense, inasmuch as he only seemed destined for the role after his elder...
Why Israel Is Obsessed with an Iranian Bomb
Perhaps more than any other state in the Middle East, Israel has historically shown a special sensitivity to its nemeses’ efforts to acquire strategic capabilities that might change the regional balance of power. It has also demonstrated a unique willingness to take...
On the Brink of Another War
The United States should not get involved in a civil war with unknown and dangerous ramifications for the region. It should not get involved in supporting an opposition that is ready to inflict a bloodbath on Syrian minorities, and it should not abet the rise of extremist al-Qaeda-affiliated groups.
Take Syria Seriously–And Stay Out
Syria’s civil war has inspired some in Congress and in the media. Stupidity or insanity? Some people don’t learn from past mistakes. Why start another body count in a Middle East conflict with no direct relationship to U.S. security?
The U.S. and Chemical Weapons: No Leg to Stand On
If, as alleged, the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons, it would indeed be a serious development, constituting a breach of the Geneva Protocol of 1925, one of the world’s most important disarmament treaties, which banned the use of chemical weapons. However, U.S. policy regarding chemical weapons has been so inconsistent and politicized that the United States is in no position to take leadership in response to any use of such weaponry by Syria.