A Nuclear Iran: U.S. and Israeli Perspectives
The Gathering Storm, November 18, 2008
Posted: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A new bipartisan poll commissioned by The Israel Project (TIP) shows that 72 percent of voting Americans across the political spectrum believe "even with all the problems that America faces at home now, we must still work hard to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons."  [Full Story]

Obama Faces a Choice: Be a Leader or Be Led

Posted: Thursday, November 6, 2008
In his 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama wrote: "I am new enough on the national political scene that I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."  With that prophecy fulfilled in the fact of his victory, the country now waits to see whether Obama will be led to the left by Congress, or whether he will instead lead in a more moderate direction.  [Full Story]

A New President, Same Problems
The Gathering Storm, November 6, 2008
Posted: Thursday, November 6, 2008
The verdict is in. We have a new President, a new Congress, and a new chapter in American political life. Hopes are high in some quarters, despairing in others. It remains to be seen how President-elect Barack Obama will impact the long-term state of international relations, but for the time being, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela remain active agents of mischief...and worse.  [Full Story]

Security Should Be The Deciding Issue
The Gathering Storm, November 4, 2008
Posted: Tuesday, November 4, 2008
It's election day, at long, long last. The outcome will be evident by tomorrow's dawn, but perhaps of greater significance than the victor himself will be the story of why Americans voted the way they did. Before you head to the booth today, I'd like to bring your attention to a very important piece written by Frederick Kagan on why "Security Should Be the Deciding Issue." And then, I will let you have at it. May the best man win.  [Full Story]

Anti-Americanism vs. The Tug of Oil
The Gathering Storm, October 31, 2008
Posted: Friday, October 31, 2008
Despite the widespread assumption that an Obama presidential victory on November 4 would vastly improve America's standing in the world, current enemies of the U.S. don't seem so sure. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Iranian hatred of the U.S. runs deep, stating that "this dispute (with America) is beyond differences of opinion on a few political issues." Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez continues to antagonize the West as this week he offered oil projects to anti-U.S. partners, publicly condemned the recent U.S. air attack on the Syrian border region of al-Bukamal, and deliberately used Chinese technology to launch its first satellite.  [Full Story]

U.S. versus Iran
The Gathering Storm, October 28, 2008
Posted: Tuesday, October 28, 2008
This week brings a mixed report on the state of relations between the United States and Iran, as policies and provocations on behalf of both countries continue to work at cross-purposes.  [Full Story]

Stopping a Nuclear Tehran
The Gathering Storm, October 23, 2008
Posted: Thursday, October 23, 2008
Today's Washington Post has published an excellent editorial written by two former colleagues flanking opposite sides of the aisle, Senator Daniel Coats (R-IN) and Senator Charles Robb (D-VA). "Stopping a Nuclear Tehran" is noteworthy not only in its unusually bipartisan contribution to the US foreign policy debate on Iran, but it also clarifies the strategic imperative intrinsic to our efforts to block Iran from obtaining nuclear-weapons capability.  [Full Story]

Russia Going Global
The Gathering Storm, October 21, 2008
Posted: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Russia is considering installing its S-300 air defense system in Syria as a way to counter balance a U.S. anti-missile radar in Israel military. Russia would operate the missiles as part of an alliance to protect its assets in Syria. This news comes on the heels of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's visit to Moscow in which he received assurances that such a plan was unlikely. Also a possibility is Russia deploying Iskander-E missiles in its Mediterranean naval bases like Tartus and Latakia in Syria. Both bases have recently been expanded to accommodate Russia's Black Sea Fleet.  [Full Story]

Enemy Roundup
The Gathering Storm, October 16, 2008
Posted: Thursday, October 16, 2008
The activist group Human Rights First said in a report this week that Iran, Russia, China and nine other countries have supplied weapons to Sudan despite a U.N. imposed embargo. The embargo was put in place, of course, because of the genocide taking place in the western Darfur region. The report said China had supplied tens of millions of dollars worth of arms to Sudan, Iran over $12 million, and Russia sold "33 new military aircraft since 2004, and has reportedly provided training, advisers and pilots for Russian aircraft in the Sudanese air force."  [Full Story]

Progress in Iraq
The Gathering Storm, October 14, 2008
Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Due to a decrease in violence, Iraq may be able to double its oil production by 2012. Iraq's oil minister presented 35 foreign companies with the details for the process of applying for 20-year rights to operate the oil fields. According to the Iraqi government, foreign corporations can own up to 49 percent of the companies established for the operations but have been invited to bid for a share of the revenue once certain hurdles have been met.  [Full Story]