Epstein Secrets

Iran's closest ally, and its link to the Arab Middle East. Syria has provided the land bridge for the transport of Iranian weapons and militants to Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Without Syria, Iran's pretensions to regional hegemony, and its ability to challenge Israel, would be crippled. It follows tha

tion, or tax reform would come in 2013. By the middle of 2014, congressional elections will force another hiatus in Washington policymaking. Since Franklin Roosevelt, Presidents have lost an average of thirty House seats and seven Senate seats in their second midterm election. By early 2015, the press will begin

n the West, but no one in the Middle East buys Iran's projection of pacifism. Indeed, Tehran's direct involvement in Sunni-Shiite carnage in Syria, Lebanon and has sharpened its image. Iran's breakout capability will be pivotal in regional assessments, with most governments likely to conclude that if

t to settle problems abroad but to make sure "our own house is in perfect order." He promised to "prosper America first." In the mid-to-late 1930s, Franklin Roosevelt took a different approach, pushing back, at first tentatively but then ever more vigorously, trying to convince the American public that it was mak

and charities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere for needy Palestinians. Last year, he said he delivered $8 million to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. "In Gaza, I do the same now," he said. ". collecting money for desalination in Gaza. It's unbearable. Fifty percent of the water in the houses is

. In the first half of the 20th century nascent democracies collapsed in Germany, Spain and Italy. By 1941 there were only 11 democracies left, and Franklin Roosevelt worried that it might not be possible to shield "the great flame of democracy from the blackout of barbarism". The progress seen in the late 20th

was torn by the debate about the wisdom of fighting the Egyptians EFTA00713704 along the Suez Canal and after 1982 it was divided over the war in Lebanon. Contrary to what many think, Netanyahu and Barak never bluffed -- they did not threaten war simply to extort an American commitment to take care

fort with Russia's authoritarian rule and widespread civic corruption. As troubling as Russia is, it hardly represents the kind of evil entity that Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill snuggled up to during World War II. As a regional power, Russia has legitimate regional interests, and the United States sho