James Phillips is a former visiting fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at The Heritage Foundation.
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The Al-Nahda (“Renaissance”) Party, a long-banned Islamist movement that was legalized after the ouster of Tunisia’s autocratic President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in January, is… Read More
After denying last week that the negotiations to extend the U.S. troop presence in Iraq were failing, the Obama Administration pivoted on Friday as President… Read More
The Obama Administration’s Iraq policy is in disarray amid reports that negotiations have broken down with the Iraqi government over extending the U.S. military presence… Read More
Iran’s foiled plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington underscores the thuggish nature of Iran’s predatory regime, its willingness to accept high risks to… Read More
SecurityNews
According to media reports, Anwar al-Awlaki, the Yemeni-American Islamist radical who played an increasingly influential role in the al-Qaeda network, was killed in a CIA… Read More
A flurry of newspaper articles reporting that the Obama Administration may decide to disregard the advice of its military commanders and reduce the U.S. military… Read More
The Obama Administration may unwisely decide to ignore the advice of its own military advisers and cut the number of U.S. troops in Iraq down… Read More
The search for Muammar Qadhafi has intensified after Libyan rebels seized most of Tripoli. The initial focus was on Qadhafi’s Bab al-Aziziya compound and nearby… Read More
Rebel forces reportedly took control of Muammar Qadhafi’s fortified Bab al-Aziziya command base in Tripoli today as they further consolidated control of the capital. Confusion… Read More
Libyan rebels converged on the capital city of Tripoli early on Monday with reports that the forces arrested two of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s sons, that the… Read More
On Saturday, an Iranian court sentenced two innocent American hikers to eight years in jail for allegedly straying across the Iran–Iraq border two years ago…. Read More
A string of coordinated cross-border terrorist attacks against Israelis launched from Egypt’s Sinai peninsula and Gaza yesterday underscored one of the ominous side effects of… Read More
The Obama Administration, which has been tragically slow to condemn President Bashar al-Assad’s violent repression of peaceful demonstrators and call for his resignation, finally took… Read More
Iraq’s fragile peace was shattered on Monday by a coordinated campaign of terrorist attacks in 17 cities that targeted Iraqi security forces and civilians, killing… Read More
The Wall Street Journal yesterday published an important op-ed by a distinguished intelligence specialist, Fred Fleitz, that alleges that the U.S. intelligence community remains in… Read More
Turkish authorities arrested 15 suspected al-Qaeda militants this week and foiled a plot to bomb the U.S. embassy in Ankara shortly before Secretary of State… Read More
Monday’s attack on the U.S. Embassy in Damascus—by a mob orchestrated by the Syrian government—underscores the abject failure of the Obama Administration’s strategy of engaging… Read More
Hundreds of thousands of protesters poured into the streets of Syrian cities on Friday to call for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in one… Read More
Iran secretly has tested ballistic missiles that are capable of carrying a nuclear warhead in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, British Foreign Secretary William… Read More
Iran’s uranium enrichment program has increased its production rate by 17 percent in recent months and by 84 percent since 2009, according to a new… Read More
According to unconfirmed reports, two missile warheads capable of being armed with a nuclear weapon have been acquired by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Reza… Read More
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today addressed a joint session of Congress and proclaimed that his government is willing to make “painful compromises” for peace… Read More
President Obama today delivered a lengthy speech on U.S. policy in the Middle East that promised continued American support for democratic transitions in the countries… Read More
Syria’s embattled Bashar al-Assad regime has pulled no punches in its ruthless repression of Syria’s long-suffering people. With the exception of Muammar Qadhafi’s Libyan regime,… Read More
Wednesday’s defection of Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa is a major embarrassment for Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi and a sign of lagging morale in the… Read More
Iran predictably has lambasted the U.N.-backed intervention in Libya, which it regards as a front for western neo-colonial efforts to seize Libyan oil resources. Iran’s… Read More
SecurityNews
After proclaiming a cease-fire, Colonel Muammar Qadhafi’s regime cynically ordered its troops to attack Benghazi, the leading rebel stronghold, in defiance of the U.N. Security… Read More
Multiple news outlets are reporting that Libya has declared an immediate cease-fire in response to the United Nations resolution authorizing “all necessary measures” to stop… Read More
Troops loyal to Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi’s regime continued their advance toward the rebel stronghold of Benghazi yesterday, as the Obama Administration scrambled to mount… Read More
The March 11 “Day of Rage” demonstrations called for by political opponents of the Saudi monarchy did not materialize as anticipated. Turnout for the protests… Read More
