Author: Clifford D. May
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May: Mahmoud Abbas, the winner …
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… and still no champion of Palestinian democracy One man, one vote, one time: In 2005, Mahmoud Abbas was elected to a four-year term as president of the Palestinian Authority. He hasn’t bothered to run for re-election since. He also is president of Fatah, a political movement with past ties to terrorism and the dominant…
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May: An American renewal
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Prosperity, security and freedom should be top priorities Slowly and perhaps even surely, Donald Trump is pulling together a team he believes can help him achieve his goals. Which are what exactly? The most basic are given to him in Article II, Section One, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution. On Jan. 20, 2017, Mr.…
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May: These not-so-united states
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In a truly diverse America, why shouldn’t Oregonians and Kansans have different values? The People’s Democratic Republic of Oregon. That has a kind of ring to it, don’t you think? The reason this phrase has crystallized in my mind: Just after it was confirmed that Donald Trump had defeated Hillary Clinton, a petition was submitted…
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May: The tide turns
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Trump’s victories pale in comparison with the challenges ahead First and foremost: Nothing is more pivotal to democratic governance then holding free and fair elections that lead to a peaceful transference of power. Over the past week, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama all demonstrated that they get that. This is an achievement that…
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May: The war against history
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Islamists destroy the past to shape the future “He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.” This, as you may recall, was the slogan of the totalitarian state imagined by George Orwell in 1984, his classic novel. Today, various groups of Islamists – which we can define as…
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May: The ideals of 1776
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Should we return to them – and can we? Andrew Roberts, one of the world’s great historians, took America to task just over one week ago. Let me rephrase that: He took Americans to task for what they – or rather we – are doing to these United States during an election season that often seems like a…
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May: The Battle of Mosul
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The Islamic State will take a beating, but the ‘tide of war’ will not recede Ayman al-Zawahiri was correct. Believed to be ensconced in the tribal lands of Pakistan, the leader of what’s sometimes called al Qaeda Central has dedicated his life to a jihad that he hopes and prays will lead to the founding of…
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May: The president should not tie his successor’s hands
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It’s not for Obama to decide how the next administration deals with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict You’re probably familiar with the old story about the inebriated guy looking for his wallet at night under a streetlight – not because that’s where he dropped it but because what would be the point of poking around in the dark?…
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May: The problem with processed peace
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Negotiations alone seldom turn terrorists and tyrants into partners and allies When peace-loving people sit down together in a spirit of compromise they can find ways to resolve their conflicts. Does it follow that negotiations with those who don’t care a fig about peace and reject compromise also lead to good results? Logic says no,…
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May: A strategic mistake in counterterrorism
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The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act entails steep costs and few benefits For almost eight years, I’ve waited for Congress to stand up to President Obama, to demonstrate that the legislative branch is still – as the Founders envisioned – coequal to the executive branch, that senators and representatives are more than a commentariat,…
