US-Israel Relations: a Mutually-Beneficial Bilateral Bond
A 10-minute-video produced by the "Israel Institute for Strategic Studies” (IISS), featuring Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger,
Islamic Terrorism – Extrinsic or Intrinsic?
Is Muslim contempt toward Western culture extrinsic or intrinsic to Islam?
Secretary Tillerson’s Political-Correctness
Will Trump and Tillerson embrace Middle East reality and reject political correctness thus sparing the US further erosion of its posture of deterrence in the Middle East and beyond? We shall soon see...
No Arab Demographic Time Bomb
Demographic reality defies conventional wisdom
Jordan’s Volatility is a Wake-up Call for US
In the Middle East, violent regime change is the rule, not the exception
2024 Yom Kippur Guide for the Perplexed
“The Lord said to Moses, that the tenth day of this seventh month [Tishrei] is the Day of Atonement…. Do not do any work on that day…. This is a lasting ordinance for generations to come….”
Will Biden Adopt Carter’s Regime-Change Policy?
A Carter Redux?
Gaza Clash Had Limited Impact on Israel’s Economy
Economic facts about Israel in the aftermath of Operation Pillar of Defense.
Israel on the Golan Heights Enhances US Interests
The control of the Golan Heights enables Israel to play a key role in constraining Iran’s expansion into Syria and Lebanon, restraining the flow of lava emitted by the potential Syrian volcano, securing Jordan’s Hashemite regime and removing the anti-US machetes from the throats of every pro-US regime.
Can Israel Rely on Foreign Peacekeepers and Security Guarantees?
Stationing foreign peacekeeping troops on Israel's border would cripple Israel's defense capabilities, requiring Israel to seek approval in preempting/countering belligerence, straining US-Israel ties
Palestinian vs. Saudi Education
But it is of no concern to Foggy Bottom
2021 Afghanistan is NOT 1975 Vietnam
Unlike in 1975, the U.S. now faces only the choice of whether to confront the enemy on their own territory or on American soil.
Potential Flaws of the US-Israel Defense Package
A rush to conclude an MOU before the next president takes office would sacrifice long-term strategic interests on the altar of short-term strategic convenience.
President Trump vs. the Department of State
Contrary to the State Department worldview, Arab policy-makers never considered the Palestinian issue a top priority, nor a core-cause of regional turbulence, nor the axis of the Arab-Israeli conflict
Vote of Confidence in Israel’s Economy in the Face of War
Despite a unique environment – top heavy on terrorism and war, but low on natural resources and rainfall - Israel has bolstered its do-or-die state of mind, with defiance of odds, risk-taking, frontier, pioneering, optimism, patriotism, can-do and out-of-the-box mentality. This has yielded a robust flow of game-changing commercial, defense and dual-use technologies.
Chanukah Legacy in the USA
The legacy of Chanukah – the centrality of liberty and morality, freedom of religion and defiance of immense odds – has played a major role in shaping the American ethos and state of mind from the Early Pilgrims, through the Founding Fathers’ War of Independence and their composition/ratification the US Constitution until today.
The Palestinian Issue: A Land-for-Peace Proposition?
“Cleansing the 1948 land of the Zionist presence,” not peaceful coexistence, is the focal point of the Palestinian ethos.
Israel Should Beware US and International Guarantees
US peacekeeping force on Israel's borders would, inadvertently, shield terrorists by constraining Israel
November Election Impact on US National Security
While only a small minority of US voters are preoccupied with national security and foreign issues, they should realize that the next President of the US will determine the state of a tectonic globe,
“The Deal of the Century” – a Perspective from the Middle East
All prior US peace plans crashed against the rocks of the Middle East. Is the 'Deal of the Century' consistent with the ruthlessly uncontrollable and unpredictable Middle East?
Purim Guide for the Perplexed 2013
A Purim lesson: Be wary of enemies, posing as partners of peace, concealing a strategic goal of extermination.
Systematic State Department Failures in the Middle East
A multi-generational broken system
Critical Lessons of the 1947 Partition Plan
Policy-makers and public opinion-molders, who sacrifice the lessons of the past on the altar of oversimplification and wishful-thinking, are doomed to repeat past mistakes and suffer their dire consequences.
US-Israel Milestones (from liability to unique asset)
Israel’s role as a major force-multiplier for the US, is highlighted against the backdrop of European vacillation, the growing ineffectiveness of NATO (No Action Talk Only?) and the intensifying vulnerabilities of all pro-US Arab regimes.
Iran’s Jihad Against the West
Iran’s ayatollahs, who have been courted and appeased by the West, are committed to bringing the West—and especially “the Great American Satan”—into submission.
The V-Shaped US-Israel Saga
In the words of Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Commander of NATO: “Our best military partner in the region, by far, is Israel…. It truly is a case of two nations that are unarguably stronger together.”
Conventional Wisdom vs. Evidenced-Reality
US State Department policy-making has been at odds with Mid East reality (evidence), elevating conventional wisdom (worldview) over the inconvenient truths and frustrating complexities of the jerkily-cyclical Middle Eastern reality.
Israel – Island of Success
Israel's economy had a robust 2017 and next year looks even brighter!
The Oman-Israel-Palestinian connection
Irrespective of the Palestinian issue, Oman—just like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt and all other pro-U.S. Arab countries—is preoccupied with domestic and regional threats and challenges, which supersede the Palestinian issue
Israel’s Hightech – a Major Engine of Growth
Israel continues to be a financial juggernaut...