US Opinion and Commentary

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Obama Ramps Up ISIS Fight

Posted April 25th, 2016 at 3:18 pm (UTC-4)
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Among the new deployments are American special operations forces. Last week, the president authorized sending more American military support to assist Iraq in retaking the city of Mosul

An Awkward Silence in Riyadh

Posted April 20th, 2016 at 4:23 pm (UTC-4)
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How did the U.S.-Saudi relationship go so badly astray? It wasn’t that great to begin with. There has always been something incongruous about an alliance between a liberal democracy and a traditional monarchy relying on austere Islam and petrodollars to sustain itself.

What Obama Must See in Saudi Arabia

Posted April 20th, 2016 at 4:01 pm (UTC-4)
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US-Saudi ties are not in the best shape, but President Obama should look to the emerging civic identity of Saudi youth, found in their digital life and demand for rights.

Mideast Peace Takes a Back Seat in Race to White House

Posted April 20th, 2016 at 2:26 pm (UTC-4)
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By Barbara Slavin With the results of the New York primary in, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once again seems to be the inevitable Democratic nominee, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is back to being a longshot. Before he fades into campaign history, however, Sanders deserves credit for pushing uncomfortable truths about the American […]

In this Crucial Election, I’m Endorsing Hillary Clinton

Posted April 17th, 2016 at 5:00 pm (UTC-4)
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This election truly is a choice between hell and reason, and I want the best, most-qualified candidate to ensure that the United States lands on the right side of that battle. In Clinton we have a proven warrior who has both the commitment and record of accomplishment to lead the fight.

Can Obama Mend US-Saudi Ties?

Posted April 12th, 2016 at 4:15 pm (UTC-4)
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By Barbara Slavin As President Barack Obama prepares to fly to Saudi Arabia next week for a summit of Arab Persian Gulf states, the future of the long American alliance with the conservative Muslim kingdom is increasingly hazy. The two countries have faced serious crises in the past, especially after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, […]

President, NATO Chief Examine Security Threats

Posted April 7th, 2016 at 3:02 pm (UTC-4)
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“We [are] reinforcing the imporance of us staying focused on ISIL (ISIS) and countering the terrorism that has seeped up into Europe and around the world,” President Barack Obama

‘We Didn’t Just Come Here to Talk, But We Came Here to Act’

Posted April 2nd, 2016 at 9:48 am (UTC-4)
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The president summarizes his fourth – and final – Nuclear Security Summit

How We Can Make Our Vision of a World Without Nuclear Weapons a Reality

Posted March 31st, 2016 at 11:24 am (UTC-4)
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Given the continued threat posed by organizations such as the terrorist group we call ISIL, or ISIS, we’ll also join allies and partners in reviewing our counterterrorism efforts, to prevent the world’s most dangerous networks from obtaining the world’s most dangerous weapons.

Thinking the Unthinkable

Posted March 30th, 2016 at 2:59 pm (UTC-4)
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In 1945, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan. It was devastating, historic and, ultimately, ended the Second World War. Some 70 years later, the frightening prospect of nuclear weapons falling into hands of terrorist organizations (think ISIS or the Taliban), who have proven their appetite for brutality again and again. On Thursday, President Barack Obama will host his fourth—and final—Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, where more than 50 heads of state will entertain that very notion, and how to ensure it never happens. Two key world figures are not attending: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Iran’s absence appears more notable given the landmark nuclear deal with America and five other world powers. Experts say approaching such a terrifying possibility requires rethinking how we cope with the existence of nuclear arms. The Cold War mentality must make way for a far more fractured globe and the rise of ultra-fundamentalist Islam.

Obama’s Last Chance to Bolster Nuclear Security

Posted March 29th, 2016 at 10:57 am (UTC-4)
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 By Barbara Slavin Terrorist attacks in Belgium and Pakistan lend a greater sense of urgency to President Barack Obama’s final nuclear security summit, set to open on Thursday in Washington. Leaders of more than 50 nations will discuss further steps to reduce and safeguard stockpiles of nuclear materials that would pose an even more serious threat to […]

Defeating ISIS Requires Maximum International Cooperation

Posted March 23rd, 2016 at 1:21 pm (UTC-4)
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By Barbara Slavin In the aftermath of the terrible bombings in Brussels, the knee-jerk reaction among some American politicians is to close borders to immigrants and hit harder at the Middle Eastern enclaves of the Islamic State. Thinking aloud as his wont on Twitter, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump vowed, “This madness must be stopped and I will […]

A Worthy Supreme Court Nominee

Posted March 22nd, 2016 at 12:13 pm (UTC-4)
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Any reasonable person would conclude that objections to Chief Judge Garland’s appointment are entirely partisan. Indeed, Chief Judge Garland is the best-prepared Supreme Court nominee since I graduated from law school in 1980.

Obama Reaches Out to Cuba’s ‘Cuentapropistas’

Posted March 22nd, 2016 at 11:50 am (UTC-4)
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The president spoke directly with American entrepreneurs and self-employed Cubans during historic trip

Paul Ryan: Quietly Aiming for the Presidency?

Posted March 21st, 2016 at 2:36 pm (UTC-4)
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Paul Ryan seems to find power and stature without truly seeking it. In 2012, Mitt Romney chose Ryan as his presidential running-mate to help energize the Republican Party’s base who were drawn to Ryan’s fiscal conservative ideas. In 2015, House of Representatives Republicans turned to Ryan as a compromise candidate for Speaker after the Tea Party wing revolted against the establishment leadership. Ryan’s name is once again being floated, this time as a to bail out a Republican Party faced with the possibility of Donald Trump as its standard-bearer. Ryan has publicly said he is not interested in being drafted by a contested convention as a presidential nominee. But can the highest-elected Republican resist taking a shot at being the highest elected American?