iran
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May: Defining violent extremism down
There are Iranian moderates; Rafsanjai was not among them Death, where is thy sting? For Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, it certainly didn’t come from the mainstream media. The 82-year-old former Iranian president died of a heart attack earlier this month. The New York Times called him an “influential voice against hard-liners” and “a main voice…
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May: Lost in cyberspace
Cyberespionage is a concern, but cyberwarfare is far more serious Russia’s hacking of the Democratic National Committee was mischievous. Did it change the outcome of the 2016 elections? No evidence suggests that and the intelligence community isn’t claiming that. So those who are may be presumed to have an agenda: to establish the narrative that…
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May: Trump’s first 100 days
A unique opportunity to start making America sovereign, secure and economically dynamic again It’s apparent that Donald J. Trump was – to employ a neologism coined by President George W. Bush 16 years ago – misunderestimated. But those who gave odds that he couldn’t transform from a successful businessman into a successful politician are now betting he…
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May: The sorrow and the pity in Syria
Iran intends to incorporate the brutalized Arab land into its version of a caliphate Over the last five years, Syria has been descending into a hell on Earth. Over the last four months, the lowest depths of the inferno have been on display in Aleppo, an ancient city, once among the most diverse and dynamic…
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May: How Obama is like Ike
His dalliance with Iran mirrors Eisenhower’s courtship of Egypt The Islamic Republic of Iran is, according to no less an authority than the U.S. government, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, suicide-bombed U.S. Marines in Beirut in 1983. Iranian-backed Shia militias killed hundreds of American troops in Iraq more recently.…
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May: The tide turns
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 ideals of 1776
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
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…