WASHINGTON – Though they preside over the world’s most important nation, our leaders in Washington can be startlingly oblivious to the audiences beyond our shores that watch and listen closely to whatever we say or do. That’s the only rational explanation for why – 13 years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 – …
Continue reading “CIA report encourages terrorists, makes allies reluctant to help”
A quarter-century ago this month, East Germany’s communist leaders announced they were opening the Berlin Wall in an act that, as much as anything else during that momentous year, symbolized the Cold War’s end. The anniversary is timely, for it provides history lessons that seem particularly relevant at a time when America is re-thinking its …
Continue reading “3 Lessons From the Fall of the Berlin Wall”
Western views toward Israel have returned to Kafkaesque normalcy after a brief break for sanity, as the United States now argues that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is making Islamic State group recruiting easier, and Europe punishes Israel and rewards the Palestinians for their ongoing conflict. Israel’s return to normal status comes just three months after the …
My fellow Americans: I want to speak with you tonight about an issue of vital national security, and that’s the challenge presented by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria – the radical terrorist organization that has seized a vast amount of territory in those countries, and that has threatened to attack the United States. …
Continue reading “What Obama Should Tell America (But Likely Won’t)”
The poll numbers are undeniable. Disillusioned by Afghanistan and Iraq, focused on domestic concerns, Americans increasingly want their nation to reduce its global footprint and stop trying to solve the problems of others. A cautious, poll-driven President Obama responds predictably, defining America’s global interests more narrowly and eschewing calls to address humanitarian horror, protect human …
Continue reading “What FDR Can Teach Obama About American Leadership”
The deal that re-opened America’s government and averted a national default should evoke little cheer, for the Washington spectacle of recent weeks has hurt America’s image and influence around the world. The impacts to date are serious enough. They include a Chinese call to “de-Americanize” the world’s economy to lessen its dependence on the U.S. …
Continue reading “Government Shutdown 2013 Ends: Hey, Washington — The Whole World Was Watching”
With all eyes in Washington focused on the government shutdown and possible default, policymakers and pundits may have missed what’s potentially the most consequential story of late – a Washington Post piece that catalogues the growing backlash against Tea Party Republicans in districts across the country. In West Michigan, business leaders are recruiting a primary …