Epstein Secrets

arian ally in the Middle East. Russians retort that U.S. policy toward Syria is all about changing the regime in Damascus, because it's allied with Tehran, and that the U.S. never tried to make Annan's peace initiative work. Each accuses the other of allowing violence in pursuit of larger geopolitical

Annan plan. Nevertheless, it's clear that Putin is losing the argument internationally. Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, hinted after the Houla massacre that the U.S. might go outside the Security Council to take tougher action, thus circumventing the Russian and Chinese vetoes. What can Ru

omberg Syria Could Unite Russia and China Against the U.S. Dmitri Trenin Jun 7, 2012 -- The massacre of more than 100 men, women and children at Houla has buried the peace plan for Syria promoted by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. Soon, the regime and its opponents will get to

in Iran in any case. But his strategy — striking a diplomatic bargain to stop the nuclear program — also narrows his options in Syria. A deal with Tehran will require the support of Russia, which happens to be hosting the next round of negotiations. Russia, in turn, is opposed to forcing Assad, a lon

That is more of the Obama legend—the highbrow spin. If the president were really moved by the theory of just war, the massacre of the children of Houla would not have left our Syrian policy unmodified. What is the difference, really, between a man who cares but does nothing and a man who does not c

nion," he remarked to Richard Nixon in 1973, "it is not an American concern. Maybe a humanitarian concern." Yeah, maybe. IT IS NOT ONLY because of Houla that an intervention against Assad would be justified. But Kissinger and the other elders who know better than to be stirred by the sight of childr

l Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Artick 3. NYT Pinched and Griping in Iran Nicholas D. Kristof June 16, 2012 -- Tehran -- Before beginning my road trip across Iran, I stopped at a shopping mall for computer equipment in Tehran. It was brimming with iPads and iPhones

00712535 On the other hand, there's growing pressure on the Hill, led by Senator John McCain, to arm the Syrian opposition, and in the wake of the Houla massacre, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney called for the same. With the body count in Syria soaring, it is getting more difficult for

A recent report from a German newspaper contends that it was the opposition, rather than Assad's forces, that was responsible for the massacre at Houla. On this reading, it wasn't Sunnis who were killed en masse, but Alawites and other minorities. The facts are otherwise. As this list of casualties

ferating. In fact, one country recently announced that it was creating a new elite "Cybercorps" as part of its military. The announcement came from Tehran. The chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times. This article is adapted from his new book, "Confront and Conceal: Obama's Secret Wars a

ikely, this means that Russia will probably continue its reckless course of supporting the Assad regime — until there are a few more massacres like Houla. EFTA00712578 Alexander Shumilin is the director of the Center for the Analysis of Middle East Conflicts at the Institute for U.S. and Canadian S

captive of the situation that it has created itself. This became clear immediately after the tragic massacre of civilians in the Syrian village of Houla on May 25 that left about 116 civilians dead, including dozens of children. Lavrov cannot deny the evidence presented by the United Nations that th