Epstein Secrets

that Israel's intransigence on settlements, and the U.S. government's failure to do anything about it, was undermining U.S. influence elsewhere in the Middle East. But nothing really changes, and Netanyahu and his allies are well aware of this. In 2010, they humiliated Vice-President Joseph Biden by unveiling

as dead wrong. So, it turns out, was the Brotherhood itself. As Shadi Hamid writes in "Temptations of Power: Islamists and Illiberal Democracy in a New Middle East," the Islamist group had learned to thrive under decades of autocratic repression and was hopelessly unprepared to rule Egypt. But following the ov

one of the teams. Occasionally, somebody in authority questions whether unqualified fealty to Israel is in the national interest. In 2010, General David Petraeus, who was then the head of U.S. Central Command, warned that Israel's intransigence on settlements, and the U.S. government's failure to do anythin

nday's vote by a landslide, has reason to trumpet its foreign policy accomplishments. Under the "zero problems" policy, Turkey's relations with its Middle Eastern neighbors are better than at any time since the founding of the republic. Regional trade is booming: Turkey's exports to the Middle East more than

o neutralize. It reinforces mounting criticism that Obama is "abandoning" Afghanistan, a false and nasty charge. One lion has yet to roar: General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and soon-to-be CIA director. Everyone knows his position likens to Gates'. But just maybe, Obama

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

dministrations, Gates gets credit for stabilizing Iraq, though the key decisions that led to success--a surge of troops and the appointment of Gen. David Petraeus to oversee the strategy--predated his arrival. Petraeus says Gates knew that his real contribution was to buy time in Washington for the strategy t

76195 survive war with Iran. In 2012, Mr Obama strikes a much flintier leader on the world stage. If he can build "strategic trust" with China in the Middle East, the habit could take hold elsewhere. One might say that the road to Xanadu goes through Tehran and Jerusalem. If he cannot, then he faces a tough

ces and strategic conditions have completely changed between them I had hoped to write a different article this week about the troubles of General David Petraeus, not to talk about the scandal but the role of the individual in history and how destiny often has the last word. But in Egypt and the Middle East

r those who didn=92t understand prior to the American invasion of Iraq about this boiling c=uldron of tribal hate that played so important a role in Middle Eastern se=urity, the evidence grew stronger throughout the war. AI-Qaeda and its affiliated organizations have killed untold thou=ands of Shiites in the pa

n rebels was made against the advice of his top national secur=ty officials at that time, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CIA Director David Petraeus, Joint Chi=fs Chairman Martin Dempsey, and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. His las=-minute decision in August 2013 not to strike Syria after its

o join him in order to prevent the "disastrous" consequences of continuing failure. Kerry's inaugural foreign trip as secretary of state will be to the Middle East, where he will lay the groundwork for a presidential visit to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan in mid-March. The administration is at pains to lowe

ENTCOM's opportunity to work with our regional partners and to support multilateral security efforts." One year earlier, Mattis' predecessor, Gen. David Petraeus, made a similar point, saying, "The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to adv

Her e-mail address is elisa_ctumerepbpostcom 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 cue rent one in Leban

oad." As for planning, the report emphasized the impor- tance of helping the civilian popula- tion — the strategy finally adopted last year by Gen. David Petraeus. Of course, lack of planning by the White House and Pentagon was evident both before and after the 2005 Rand report — evident to everybody but t

cause they unquestioningly back Israel or support Arab autocrats. Should those policies be moderated and replaced by more even-handed postures toward the Middle East, newly liberated Arab citizens would probably be too busy building their new countries to allow themselves to be distracted by lingering resentments

administrations, Gates gets credit for stabilizing Iraq, though the key decisions that led to success--a surge of troops and the appointment of Gen. David Petraeus to oversee the strategy--predated his arrival. Petraeus says Gates knew that his real contribution was to buy time in Washington for the strategy to