Libya

The Libyan Conundrum: Brad’s Greatest Hits

President Obama recently gave a wide ranging interview to the New York Times, and his comments on Libya made my jaw hit the floor.  I really try not to be political on this blog, but after hearing them, I couldn't believe our foreign policy could be that naive.  Before we get to that, though, a little recap of Libya analysis done by a peon outside the administration's foreign policy team (me). The Libyan Conundrum, (14 March 2010 -Before we conducted airstrikes, and I completely agreed with the administration against [...]

By |2014-08-11T15:27:58-04:00August 11th, 2014|Blog|8 Comments

Tweeting our way into the #Apocalypse

I’ve seen the massive number of tweets from celebrities on the Gaza conflict and am flabbergasted at the capricious nature of American empathy. The Israeli incursion into Gaza has apparently sparked a fire of outrage in the conscious minds of the celebrity culture, and it’s become fashionable to show support. From Selena Gomez to Mia Farrow, #FreePalestine has become the hashtag of choice. But why? Ostensibly, it’s the number of civilian deaths, but there have been many more civilian deaths in our own backyard of Mexico due to [...]

By |2014-08-02T22:18:14-04:00August 2nd, 2014|Blog|3 Comments

No Al Qaida in Benghazi? Someone’s drinking the Kool-aid…

The New York Times presented a lengthy report on the Benghazi attack in its Sunday edition (12/29), and one of its central tenants was that the attackers had no connection to al Qaeda.  Specifically, there was “no evidence that al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups had any role in the assault.”  I was flabbergasted.  No evidence?  And not “any role”?  Seriously?  Pretty strong, quantifiable words.  I could live with “not a preponderance of evidence leading to the conclusion that al Qaeda senior leadership directed the attack.” Or, [...]

By |2013-12-30T14:05:11-05:00December 30th, 2013|Blog|3 Comments

The Libyan Conundrum Part V: The Enemy Has a Vote

Well, it looks like this administration is finally realizing that just proclaiming victory doesn’t make it so.  Before we went into Libya, I blogged that it would devolve into a mess without a heavy stability and support operation (SASO) on our part, and that the administration was rightfully hesitant to conduct a no-fly zone due to these realities.  The administration then ignored my prescient blog and went ahead with “leading from behind”, with President Obama proclaiming No Boots on the Ground in Libya.  We applied our air power, [...]

By |2013-11-19T11:24:52-05:00November 19th, 2013|Blog|2 Comments

The Libyan Conundrum part IV: How do you like me now?

I’ve blogged about our incursion into Libya on three separate occasions, and the main theme threaded throughout was that getting rid of Ghadafi was only half of the equation.  Stabilizing the country afterwards is the other half, and, as I said back then, our foreign policy just doesn’t seem to get that. Well, it sure does now.  Everyone is scrambling to pin the rose on who killed the U.S. Ambassador and some of his staff, with some blaming a movie that insults Islam as the culprit, and others [...]

By |2012-09-13T23:27:46-04:00September 13th, 2012|Blog|3 Comments

The Libyan Conundrum, Part II: What now?

I guess my blog isn’t as well read as it should be, since everyone involved in the attack against Libya is acting surprised at the initial results.  The Arab League endorsed a no-fly zone without realizing it meant attacking Libya, and the Obama administration is desperately trying to keep from choosing sides when the coalition in the fight has already chosen. Today the Arab League, after watching 112 tomahawk cruise missiles slam into Libya, started getting a little antsy, saying, “What is happening in Libya differs from the [...]

By |2011-03-20T10:06:03-04:00March 20th, 2011|Blog|8 Comments

The Libyan Conundrum

On March 10, the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, was castigated for stating that Moammar Gadhafi’s regime, if left to its own devices, would eventually prevail.   Clapper has made some ridiculous statements in the past, but this isn’t one of them.  Only in Washington would telling the truth be deemed irresponsible.   Fast forward to today, and Gadhafi has retaken critical cities and an oil refinery lost to the rebels, and shows no signs of backing down.  Looks like Clapper was right on this one. During my book [...]

By |2011-03-14T08:05:16-04:00March 14th, 2011|Blog|1 Comment
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