Posted in Intelligence, Iran, Mark T. Clark, Nuclear on Feb 10th, 2008 Comments Off on NIE redux
From Mark T. Clark The November 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran’s nuclear program set off a storm of controversy and criticism. I critiqued only one part of it in an earlier post. I believed then, as I believe now, that the report was flawed intellectually as it relied an academic assumption that the […]
Posted in Barry Rubin, Bruce Jentleson, Charles Hill, Culture, Diplomacy, Israel on Feb 7th, 2008 2 Comments »
Elie Kedourie (1926-1992) was a rigorous interpreter of Middle Eastern history and contemporary affairs, famous for his penetrating style and principled conservatism. In 1970 he published an essay on “The Middle East and the Powers,” as the opening piece in a collected volume named after its most renowned article, The Chatham House Version. Below, we […]
Posted in Counterinsurgency, Harvey Sicherman, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon, Palestinians on Feb 5th, 2008 Comments Off on Civilians: shields and targets
From Harvey Sicherman The Winograd Report has confirmed what I heard on a trip to Israel in August 2006, namely, that an inexperienced Israeli cabinet sought the rewards of a combined arms (air-ground) operation at the risk of an air raid. When this proved inadequate to the rhetoric of victory, the same group bungled the […]
Posted in Alan Dowty, Democracy, Israel on Feb 2nd, 2008 Comments Off on Winograd rises above scapegoating
From Alan Dowty Commissions of inquiry are one of the strengths of the Israeli political system. They are taken very seriously, typically composed of highly respected public figures, operate in a highly judicial style, and are accorded considerable attention and deference in the public arena. Moreover, more often than in many other democracies with similar […]
Posted in Islamism, Qaeda, Walter Laqueur on Feb 1st, 2008 1 Comment »
From Raymond Ibrahim Will the recent killing in Pakistan of “senior” Al Qaeda leader, Abu Laith al-Libi, have any tangible effects on the “war on terror”? Considering the headline news coverage, one might assume so. In fact, whenever any major Al Qaeda operative or leader is slain, the media is abuzz with it, implying that […]
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