Advertisements In my latest piece at Medium, I argue that while Joe Biden is correct to avoid using military force to aid Ukraine, sanctions are not a viable alternative as they have little hope of changing Russia’s behavior in the immediate and short term. I look at the history of sanctionsContinue Reading
Advertisements The latest edition of the Cutting Through newsletter is out. In it, I take a critical look at the way the Biden administration has handled the Russia-Ukraine crisis, with a special focus on the highly questionable approaches its taken with Putin and also with domestic media. Check it outContinue Reading
Advertisements In July, a Russian military leader made some stunning comments about Russian air defenses in Syria thwarting Israeli air attacks. While Israel, as it customarily does, offered neither confirmation nor denial, the claims were dubious. But what was their purpose if they were exaggerations or falsehoods? I look atContinue Reading
In exchange for his acquiescence on these matters, Netanyahu believes he will reach an endgame with the Palestinians. He believes he can explode the notion that endless occupation is unsustainable. Obama would never let him test that idea. Neither would George W. Bush, his previous “best-ever president for Israel.” But Trump will. That’s why Netanyahu loves him so much that he is willing to overlook anything.Continue Reading
Putin might negotiate, but he will not back off his bottom line of maintaining a solid Russian presence in Syria, his primary interest from the start of the upheavals there. Netanyahu, for his part, will need to be convinced that Iranian influence on Israel’s borders is being mitigated by Moscow’s restraint. Trump will need to work to satisfy these competing interests while also working to show he can take on ISIS. A delicate and difficult task indeed, and neither delicate nor difficult has proven to be Trump’s forte.Continue Reading
