We admit about 70,000 refugees a year. Is that the American level? Or would 700,000 be more American? And what’s the balance between prudential considerations — cost, assimilation, security — and American-ness?
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Obama on Paris Attacks, U.S. Strategy vs. IS and Syrian Refugees
Posted November 16th, 2015 at 4:57 pm (UTC-5)
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President Obama defended U.S. strategy against the so-called Islamic State at a news conference following the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey.
Going After ‘Jihadi John’
Posted November 13th, 2015 at 3:47 pm (UTC-5)
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News that a U.S. airstrike may have killed the most recognizable, if covered, face of the Islamic State in the heart of its stronghold in Syria says it all: the Obama administration, with the help of select Kurdish fighters, is taking the fight to ISIS, right in its own backyard. After months of withering criticism, the president announced last month that he was sending 50 military advisers to the region to bolster its air campaign. According to Secretary of State John Kerry more than 8,000 airstrikes have been carried out at IS targets over the past year, and it’s paying off. The Islamic State has been forced from 20 to 25% of territory it controlled a year ago, Kerry said. If the death of Mohammed Emwazi, the British knife-wielding masked man who has starred in IS videos of beheadings is confirmed, it will go a long way towards convincing the world that the United States isn’t prevaricating about Syria anymore.
Tags: barack obama, IS, ISIL, ISIS, islamic state, John Kerry. Kurds. Iraq, syria Posted in This Week in Opinion
A Trade Deal for Working Families
Posted November 10th, 2015 at 1:36 pm (UTC-5)
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“…As any middle-class family will tell you, we have more to do. That’s why I believe the Trans-Pacific Partnership is so important. It’s a trade deal that helps working families get ahead.” President Barack Obama
Obama Shutters the Peace Process Shop
Posted November 9th, 2015 at 12:55 pm (UTC-5)
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White House officials stated that an agreement between the two sides “isn’t in the cards” during what remains of the Obama presidency … It’s a stunningly honest admission, particularly for a president who set such high goals seven years ago. But was it a wise one? What is the Obama Administration up to?
Tags: barack obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, Fatah, gaza, Hamas, israel, Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinians, West Bank Posted in Recent Opinion and Commentary
Obama: ‘If Not Now, Bibi, Then When?’
Posted November 9th, 2015 at 9:57 am (UTC-5)
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Last year, shortly before Benjamin Netanyahu made one of his periodic visits to the White House, I interviewed Barack Obama about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict… The president told me … “The essence of my conversation,” Obama said, is this: “If not now, when? And if not you, Mr. Prime Minister, then who?
Tags: barack obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, gaza, israel, Jerusalem, Palestinians, West Bank Posted in Recent Opinion and Commentary
Syria: More Men, More Money
Posted November 3rd, 2015 at 4:58 pm (UTC-5)
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Friday brought the announcement by the White House that fewer than 50 Special Operations troops would deploy to Syria to provide “some training, some advice and some assistance.” Saturday, the White House anted up another $100-million ($500-million since 2012) for moderate Syrian opposition groups to keep schools open, restoring access to electricity and clean water and supporting an independent media. Monday, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes asserted the mission of the Special Forces is to be a force multiplier to help those fighting the Islamic State, not to take part in raids or combat. But he did say those troops “may have to engage the enemy.” The U.S. strategy in Syria has been questioned and criticized for nearly four years, and the latest moves have only raised more of the same.
No Time for a Nuclear Deal with Pakistan
Posted October 22nd, 2015 at 11:16 am (UTC-5)
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Worst of all, the nuclear discussion shifts attention from the underlying causes of American anxiety with Pakistan and the greatest stumbling blocks to effective partnership between Washington and Islamabad.
To Do List for the Next President: Afghanistan
Posted October 15th, 2015 at 6:28 pm (UTC-5)
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Barack Obama now finds himself standing firmly in the shoes of his predecessor, George W. Bush. In September of 2013, President Obama made this comment at a G-20 summit in Russia: “I was elected to end wars, not start them.” By Kevin Enochs
Tags: Afghanistan, al-Qaida, barack obama, Taliban, US military troops Posted in Featured Commentary
Russia Unleashes Military Strikes in Syria, Putting Pressure on US
Posted September 30th, 2015 at 2:40 pm (UTC-5)
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No matter what, the bold move by Russian President Vladimir Putin to conduct airstrikes in Syria is a dramatic game-changer. The White House says it’s unclear what the Russians were aiming at and unclear what they hit. Murkier still, the question of whether the United States is in this with Russia. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says a communication channel needs to be established. Secretary of State John Kerry warns Russia to keep the strikes aimed at the Islamic State or other extremist groups like al-Nusra, and not any target that shores up the regime of Bashir al-Assad. Four years after the uprising against Assad began, a new chapter has begun.
Tags: airstrikes, barack obama, islamic state, Kerry, russia, syria, Syrian immigrants, Vladimir Putin Posted in This Week in Opinion
“‘I Want It Now’ Politics Are Not the American Way
Posted September 30th, 2015 at 11:29 am (UTC-5)
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Governing, as George W. Bush once reminded us, is “hard work.” It was meant to be. It requires building coalitions, securing public support, and making deals with people you don’t agree with or even like. It often means settling for half a loaf.
Tags: American politics, barack obama, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell Posted in Recent Opinion and Commentary
China Calling
Posted September 25th, 2015 at 3:16 pm (UTC-5)
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Cybersecurity. A trade imbalance of almost $350-billion. Intellectual property theft. Island building in the South China Sea. North Korea. Human rights. Those are just some of the issues on the table for this week’s U.S.-China summit. Presidents Obama and Xi announced an agreement — details of which are still to be worked out — that their governments will not knowingly support cyber theft of intellectual property or commercial trade secrets. In the next breath, Obama warned of possible sanctions for cybercrime that has happened, or may happen in the future. Despite the stern smiles and niceties of state dinner toasts, there is a lot of work to do on both sides of the U.S.-China relationship.
Tags: barack obama, china, climate change, cybersecurity, South China Sea, Xi Jinping Posted in This Week in Opinion
China-U.S. Trade Soars, Benefitting Both Nations
Posted September 22nd, 2015 at 12:06 pm (UTC-5)
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As President Xi Jinping visits the United States this week, history tells us that Sino-U.S. economic cooperation is win-win. For more than 30 years, our bilateral trade and investment has brought real benefits to our peoples and contributed to great development in both countries.
Tags: barack obama, china, economy, trade, united states, Xi Jinping Posted in Recent Opinion and Commentary
Susan Rice: “With China, we speak openly about persistent human rights violations, pressing our concerns at every level.”
Posted September 21st, 2015 at 3:42 pm (UTC-5)
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Obama to Hollande: Stay the Course Against Russia
Privately, Obama officials say they are concerned about whether key European leaders are prepared to extend sanctions on Moscow, which expire in late January. And they are wary of any effort by Putin — who will host Hollande in Moscow later this week — to link events in Syria and Ukraine.