Epstein Secrets

n between our troubles with Syria and Iran is pretty straightforward. The Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad is 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 pretens

kely see Israeli- Palestinian negotiations as a bottomless pit for diplomatic energy rather than as a priority. If Obama is reelected, he will have no Middle East hands to whom he can turn. Mideast advisor Dennis Ross has left; Jeffrey Feltman, assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, departed for

ill in all likelihood leave when a new secretary of state is appointed or a few months later. In January 2009, Obama appointed Mitchell as special Middle East envoy on his second day in office. That kind of priority will not be assigned to the "peace process" in January 2013 -- no matter who wins. The ne

esident Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld—most associated with extreme views of how to han

of the first four years. During the 2004 campaign, Bush came close to jettisoning the two people—Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld—most associated with extreme views of how to handle post-9/11 foreign affairs. After the election, Cheney saw the influence of his principal ideolo

to exercise a version of his "light footprint" strategy (the fight-at-a-distance strategy behind drones and cyberweapons) without getting mired in another Middle East nightmare. The problem, of course, is that many conflicts don't lend themselves to light footprints. Mr. Assad has already survived in office for t

c 5. Project Syndicate Autumn's Known Unknowns Nouriel Roubini 31 August 2013 -- During the height of the Iraq war, then-US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld spoke of "known unknowns" — foreseeable risks whose realization is uncertain. Today, the global economy is facing many known unknowns, most of whic

he Iraq war, then-US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld spoke of "known unknowns" — foreseeable risks wh

cretary of State is already sure to be defined by the success or failure of major U.S. diplomatic initiatives to secure compromises from parties to the Middle East's most deep-rooted conflicts. Three simultaneous negotiations now offer the prospect of achieving strategically important objectives: one to produce

istances. In a 75-minute conversation, Hagel gave me his version of the Middle East crisis tour. Talking with him, I found, was not like talking to Donald Rumsfeld. Interviewing Rumsfeld at this table was like interviewing a razor blade; one wrong move and you'd get cut. Hagel, on the other hand, is tranquil,

rsation, Hagel gave me his version of the Middle East crisis tour. Talking with him, I found, was not like talking to Donald Rumsfeld. Interviewing Rumsfeld at this table was like interviewing a razor blade; one wrong move and you'd get cut. Hagel, on the other hand, is tranquil, conversational, and ver

sia), held in Washington, was expected to call for talks to restart, as a matter of urgency. Nobody seems minded to point out an obvious fact. With the Middle East in turmoil, starting a new round of Israeli-Palestinian talks is completely pointless. Speaking last week Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy

g infantries and saturation bombing, and apparently capable of regenerating itself at minimal expense. From the perspective of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his White House cronies, this would not do. Since the US was accustomed to fighting other nation-states — geopolitical entities containing such

such identifiable targets as capital cities, airports, military bases, and munitions plants — we would have to find a nation-state to fight, or as Rumsfeld put it, a "target-rich environment". Iraq, pumped up by alleged stockpiles of "weapons of mass destruction" became the designated surrogate for an

sia), held in Washington, was expected to call for talks to restart, as a matter of urgency. Nobody seems minded to point out an obvious fact. With the Middle East in turmoil, starting a new round of Israeli-Palestinian talks is completely pointless. Speaking last week Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy

g infantries and saturation bombing, and apparently capable of regenerating itself at minimal expense. From the perspective of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his White House cronies, this would not do. Since the US was accustomed to fighting other nation-states — geopolitical entities containing such

such identifiable targets as capital cities, airports, military bases, and munitions plants — we would have to find a nation-state to fight, or as Rumsfeld put it, a "target-rich environment". Iraq, pumped up by alleged stockpiles of "weapons of mass destruction" became the designated surrogate for an

6101 EFTA02693041 30 organizations. At present, there are 10.5 million Palestinians, including around 5 millions refugees, scattered in several Middle Eastern countries and other Diaspora states. As for Palestinian Statehood: The UN General Assembly by great majority has recognized the right of the Pales

Mr. Bush said he wanted him to stay. But in the Bush administration's second term, Mr. Cheney's influence waned. When Mr. Bush decided to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld as secretary of defense after the 2006 midterm elections, Mr. Cheney said he was not given a chance to object. Mr. Cheney praised Barack Obama's su

aned. When Mr. Bush decided to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld as secretary of defense after the 2006 midterm el

6168 EFTA02693098 30 organizations. At present, there are 10.5 million Palestinians, including around 5 millions refugees, scattered in several Middle Eastern countries and other Diaspora states. As for Palestinian Statehood: The UN General Assembly by great majority has recognized the right of the Pales

Mr. Bush said he wanted him to stay. But in the Bush administration's second term, Mr. Cheney's influence waned. When Mr. Bush decided to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld as secretary of defense after the 2006 midterm elections, Mr. Cheney said he was not given a chance to object. Mr. Cheney praised Barack Obama's su

aned. When Mr. Bush decided to replace Donald H. Rumsfeld as secretary of defense after the 2006 midterm el

s have different results: Think of how an open computer system plopped into the Middle East might be used differently than one placed in the American Midwest. It was these sorts of vibrations, the ones made by power pulsing through certain forms or networks in history, that led the Orientalist scholar Kar

ging the most expensive war on terrorism in human history, the US was uneasily discovering that it was creating more terrorists. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had sketched the nature of this puzzle in an October, 2003 memo with acid clarity. He asked: “Are we capturing, killing or deterring and dissuading m

yond what the soldiers and analysts could match or even fully monitor. “Is our current situation such that ‘the harder we work, the behinder we get?” Rumsfeld asked in 2003.38 To be constantly behind. This was a commander’s nightmare. Among other things it was that sense of never quite catching up that had

Her e-mail address is elisa_cnumeriapbpostcom David Ignatius Turning disaster to opportunity Groping for a way to understand the ruinous mess in the Middle East, I find myself looking back- ward to an earlier ruinous mess, the Yom Kippur War of October 1973. That long-ago war, like the cur- rent one in Leba

estimating $200 billion for Iraq. but that was before a monumentally mismanaged occupation and a civil war. Back then, in 2002. Defense Secretary Donald Rtunsfeld thought $50 billion to $60 billion woukl do the job, but he asked people not to hold him to a hard number. For the record, the price tag pas

" he said, "what history decides." U.S. troops and their families, as well as the Iraqis dying every day. are more than Interested" in whether Mr. Rumsfeld and President Bush are making good decisions. The generals and Mr. Rumsfeld also continued the administration's soft retreat from taking full res

es the people agree to forego their desire to replace their leaders. (Truly, East Asian autocracies have not robbed people of their dignity the way Middle Eastern ones have.) But even as such growth rates continue unabated—to say nothing of if they collapse or even slow down—at higher income levels, this soci

estoring morale at the Pentagon and, more important, repairing relations with Congress, which had grown distrustful of the Defense Department under Rumsfeld. Bridging two administrations, Gates gets credit for stabilizing Iraq, though the key decisions that led to success--a surge of troops and the app