Watch for US Special Forces Action Against Somali Pirates

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In the period between President Obama’s November 2008 victory at the polls and his taking office on January 20, 2009, members of Obama’s transition team began talking to military planners about various options that might be available for dealing with Somali pirates. In my estimation, this is smart planning by the Obama team.

Thoughts on Reorganizing the Hamas Problem

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My New America Foundation/Middle East Task Force colleague Daniel Levy, a former Israeli government negotiator who was at the table whenever any key progress was made in Israel-Palestine negotiations and then wrote the Israeli draft of the well-known Geneva Initiative, believes that there is no credible path forward on Israel-Palestine issues and the broader Middle…

No Team of Rivals on Economics: Bob Rubin Acolytes and Goldman Sachs Alums Dominate Obama Team and Have Blocked Alternative Views from Entering White House Ranks

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No Team of Rivals on the economics side. The deep ideological divide that is emerging in the economics profession between those who worried about manic neoliberalism and Bob Rubin-style turbo-charged tilts towards an increasing unregulated finance industry is not hitting the Obama administration – because it is only hiring one side of that divide.

The Shame of Guantanamo

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The Editorial Board of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has published an familiar attack on the military and political authorities that kept Guantanamo buffered from normal American legal processes. In a piece, titled “Guantanamo justice, evidence appalling“, the Jay Bookman on behalf of the editors writes: Army Lt. Col.

Madeleine Albright’s International Migraines

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Interesting exchange with Madeleine Albright on US foreign policy over at National Journal: NJ: What do you foresee as Obama’s biggest foreign policy challenge? Albright: Well, it’s hard, I have to tell you, because there are some very, very serious issues out there, and I sometimes say it’s kind of like, “what’s the worst place…