*Notwithstanding Saudi philo-Palestinian talk, Riyadh considers the Palestinian issue a low priority. It ranks significantly lower than the clear and present lethal threat posed by Iran’s Ayatollahs; the potential tectonic eruption in Iraq; the lethal threat from volcanic Yemen; and the domestic powder keg in the oil-rich and Shia-dominated Qatif…
The Early Pilgrims The roots of the unique ties between the United States and Israel precede the 1776 US Declaration of Independence and the 1948 founding of Israel. They eclipse the political beltway of Washington, DC, transcend the pertinent role of the Jewish community, are deeper than the intimate diplomatic discourse…
The roots of the December 6, 2019 murder of three US soldiers at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, by an Islamic Saudi terrorist, are independent of US policy in the Middle East and beyond, as are all previous cases of anti-US and anti-Western Islamic terrorism. For instance, the launching of…
Constructive Defense Pact A constructive US-Israel defense pact should be based on shared values and shared strategic interests, expanding the two-way-street, win-win US-Israel strategic cooperation. An effective US-Israel defense pact should enhance Israel’s self-reliance and independence, rather than Israel’s dependence upon the US. A useful US-Israel defense pact should bolster…
The US mindset on Israel – unlike the US attitude toward other countries – is a bottom-top phenomenon: a derivative of the US public worldview, which feeds legislators in the House and Senate and policy-makers in the White House. The US mindset on Israel draws its strength from the religious,…
US Ambassador David Friedman’s June 8 interview in the NY Times was inconsistent with the worldview of the State Department establishment, but quite consistent with Middle East reality and US national security interests. Ambassador Friedman stated: “The absolute last thing the world needs is a failed Palestinian state between Israel…
“Talk-with-Iran was tried by successive US presidents, starting with Jimmy Carter. In 1980, [Iran’s] Mullahs signed an accord with Carter not to seize anymore American hostages in exchange for de-freezing Iranian assets…. Yet, to this day, Iran has always held American hostages – 14 today…. The Saudis tried to improve…
Former Ambassador Yoram Ettinger will be participating in CCNS’ event on February 26, 2019, discussing “The Mutually-Beneficial Two-Way-Street of US-Israel Relations” and “Would a Palestinian state advance or undermine US national security?” Learn more here. A successful pursuit of peace is preconditioned upon the predominance of reality over well-intentioned eagerness…
The January 10, 2019 Cairo, Egypt speech by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – which was cleared by the White House – was a course-setting presentation of the US role in the Middle East. Pompeo’s ideological and operational speech was aimed at bolstering the US’ posture of deterrence and reassuring…
While national security and foreign policy did not play a role in the November 2018 mid-term Congressional election, the outcome of the election will impact President Trump’s maneuverability in the arenas of foreign policy, national and homeland security. While the power of the newly-elected, Democratic-controlled House will be substantially neutralized…
While Iraq delivers staunchly pro-Palestinian talk, a 2017 Iraqi law has reversed Saddam Hussein’s pro-Palestinian policy, depriving Palestinians (including those born in Iraq) of free education, healthcare, travel documents and employment in state institutions. While Jordan calls for sweeping Israeli concessions to the Palestinians, and while the Hashemite regime has absorbed…
The evolution of President Trump’s stance on the Palestinian issue reflects extrication from conventional wisdom, which was embraced by his predecessors and the establishment of the State Department, academia and the media, while systematically crashed against the rocks of Middle East reality. In contrast to his predecessors, Trump and his…