Obama and the Search for Audacity
Like too many of our presidents, Obama entered the White House with little experience in national security and limited knowledge of the decision
makers in previous administrations. Obama correctly perceived the Iraq War as the “wrong war,” but he misperceived the Afghan War as the “good war.” He soon realized that both wars were hurting U.S. interests and that his national security team—Obama’s team—would not stand up to the Pentagon’s powerful military commanders. He should have followed his vice president, Joe Biden, who warned that Secretary of Defense Gates and his senior military commanders would do their best to “box in” a new president in 2009 in order to put more forces in Afghanistan.
Read more here:
Recent News and Latest Book
The NYT’s Proclaims Israel’s Military Has Reclaimed Its “Stature”
Several days after the Washington Post bogusly declared that Israel has recovered the “military primacy” that it lost a year ago, the New York Times goes one step further. It obscenely proclaims that the Israeli military has regained its “stature.” We’re are talking about a sophisticated and lethal military force that has been facing Arab adversaries who lack air power and air defense for the past 57 years.
Netanyahu’s Dangerous Militarism
Greater use of Israeli military power has not provided Israel with greater security over the years, and there is no reason to believe that any retaliation—other than a symbolic response similar to the April attack—would end the current cycle of permanent occupation. Israeli analysts continue to speak of “escalate to deescalate,” “escalation dominance,” and “restoration of deterrence,” but Israel’s “targeted assassinations,” the violence of settlers on the West Bank, and the genocidal campaign in Gaza will never serve any long-term strategic purpose.
