Iran

No, Soleimani Wasn’t Assassinated.

As is typically true following any military strike, the armchair quarterbacks are out in force on television, and as is also typical, I get aggravated watching them.  I’ve received a lot of questions about the potential repercussions of the act, but have also seen most of the discussion on the news revolve around the legality of the strike —specifically as it relates to Executive Order 12333—which prohibits “assassinations”.  I wrote a blog about this in 2010 and thought it instructive to revisit it and post an updated version. [...]

By |2020-01-05T22:19:13-05:00January 4th, 2020|Blog, Featured, Uncategorized|9 Comments

Let’s Play Iran’s Game, Not our Own.

Royalty-free stock illustration ID: 455268238 The world woke up yesterday to a bunch of maniacs chanting “Death to America” outside the US Embassy in Iraq, and given what I’ve seen on TV, with references to Benghazi and the seizure of the US embassy in Iran in 1979, I’m pretty sure that the average American has no hope of knowing what’s actually happening.  Watching the news, you’d think that Iraq is either hell bent on kicking us out or killing us, but that’s not the case.  Unfortunately, [...]

By |2023-12-13T13:46:44-05:00January 2nd, 2020|Blog, Featured, Uncategorized|4 Comments

War with Iran…Three Differences and One Similarity

Royalty-free stock vector ID: 671941873 Iran has come to the forefront of political and military discourse in the last few weeks, and lost in the shuffle of hyperbolic political statements is exactly what a war with Iran would mean and what would be required from the American public and the military. Too often – as I have learned from personal experience – elected officials promise a quick and easy war when it most decidedly will not be either quick or easy. Make no mistake, Iran is [...]

By |2023-12-13T13:51:31-05:00June 27th, 2019|Blog|12 Comments

Designating the IRGC a terrorist organization? Not a good idea.

Royalty-free stock photo ID: 656642494 Last week, the Trump administration designated the entire Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group, which finally took effect yesterday.  I’d hoped that saner heads would prevail in the meantime.  While on the surface that seems like the right move, it’s replete with negative ancillary effects that far outweigh any positive ones. Right up front, I’ll say that this idea didn’t arise from just the Trump administration.  I remember writing The Widow’s Strike in 2013, where Pike goes against a [...]

By |2023-12-13T13:53:30-05:00April 17th, 2019|Blog, Uncategorized|9 Comments

The Iran Nuclear Deal: Missing the Forest for the Trees.

I’ve had a few days to listen to all of the talking heads and various “experts” discuss the pros and cons of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and most of the arguments have focused on specific details of the agreement. There’s a lot of hyperbole over inspection timelines, centrifuges, hostages currently held, sanctions relief, etc, but in my mind the whole discussion misses the broader picture. For the record, I think some of the debate on the details of the agreement is misguided from both the [...]

By |2015-07-20T19:20:28-04:00July 20th, 2015|Blog|15 Comments

Hero to Zero

Syria is turning into a quagmire, and for once, it isn’t the United States that’s stuck in the mud. Surprisingly, it’s the mighty Resistance of the Middle East.  Hezbollah. In 2000, Hezbollah was hailed as the Arabic version of David, fighting off the Goliath of the hated Israel and forcing them to flee from Lebanon.  The Arab world cheered the departure.  In 2006, Israel came back and fought a sharp, short war with Hezbollah, and pretty much had their ass handed to them on the propaganda front.  While [...]

By |2013-06-03T16:48:45-04:00June 3rd, 2013|Blog|5 Comments

Guess What? Another Red Line!

In the movie The Princess Bride, one of the characters repeatedly exclaims “Inconceivable!” every time an event occurs, prompting another to respond, “You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means.” Substitute red line for “inconceivable” and any reporter could say the same thing about the Obama administration’s current foreign policy proclamations.  I wrote a blog some time ago about the red line the administration proclaimed for nuclear development in Iran, a line that was crossed long ago, forcing them to [...]

By |2013-04-27T16:49:55-04:00April 27th, 2013|Blog|6 Comments
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