United States and Canada

Can the West Afford Not to Act in Syria?

By Ulrich Speck

The civil war in Syria reveals many uncomfortable truths about today’s geopolitics. One of them is that the EU has made little progress on a common foreign policy in the last two decades.

Through the PRISM of Hypocrisy

By Julian Lindley-French

A young British soldier is mown down in a London street and then hacked to death.  Mosques and Islamic centers across England are attacked.  The liberal elite in London mouth their concerns and trot out the usual reality-defying, free speech quenching politically correct nonsense.  And then it is alleged that the US National Security Agency (NSA) and Britain’s […]

US and China Explore New Relationship

By Robert Manning

It will be some time before the full consequences of the California summit meeting between US President Barack Obama and China’s new leader, Xi Jinping, are revealed. Nixon-Mao it was not. Nevertheless, the well-timed and much-needed unscripted discussion focused on fundamental questions about the US-China relationship which has reached a new level of tension because […]

US Helps Allies Trying to Battle Iranian Hackers

By Thom Shanker and David Sanger, New York Times

US and Israel Worried About How Quickly Iran is Improving its Cyber Warfare Arsenal

By Thom Shanker and David Sanger, New York Times

From Thom Shanker and David Sanger, New York Times:  Israeli and American intelligence officials have been concerned by Iran’s swift advances in its computer weaponry, particularly its ability to disrupt existing infrastructure.

Obama Orders US to Draw Up Overseas Target List for Cyber-Attacks

By Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill, Guardian

From Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill, Guardian: Barack Obama has ordered his senior national security and intelligence officials to draw up a list of potential overseas targets for US cyber-attacks

Syria: Russia’s Success, the West’s Failure

By François Heisbourg, New York Times

From François Heisbourg, New York Times:  More than two years after the revolt broke out against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, it is fair to say that Russia’s policies are succeeding, whereas the West’s analysis and actions are failing.

Iran and Russia Outmaneuvering US in the Syrian Proxy War

By Vali Nasr, Bloomberg

From Vali Nasr, Bloomberg:  Events in Syria are spinning in Iran’s favor.

US Is Syria’s Only Hope

By R. Nicholas Burns

Syria’s savage civil war may have just entered a new and darker phase. During the past few weeks, momentum has shifted sharply away from the rebels in favor of the Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. The real possibility that his government, long presumed to be on life support, may now survive is bad news for rebel […]