All governments behave cynically now and then, saying one thing while doing something else, so it's best not to make too much of any particular instance of hypocrisy unless and until it becomes harmful in some way. But they're rarely so brazen about their hypocrisy as this, courtesy of The Intercept's Murtaza Hussain: https://twitter.com/MazMHussain/status/588373994975420416 Now … Continue reading Pot meets kettle

Real life has infringed on blogging today, but I did want to flag this important piece by Stephen Walt from a couple of days ago, explaining why a diplomatic agreement with Iran over its nuclear program can have a deep and lasting impact on the Middle East and America's role there regardless of the fine … Continue reading A nuclear deal is only the first step

Marco Rubio is running for president, and I think we all owe him our thanks for not beating around the bush (pun not intended...?) when it comes to his intentions: He doesn't leave much to the imagination, does he? If PNAC doesn't ring a bell, then surely the cast of characters associated with it will. … Continue reading Points for honesty

The Corker-Menendez "Bomb Bomb Iran Act of 2015" has apparently been watered down enough that it will not only pass the Senate with a veto-proof majority, it won't even face a veto. The bill is likely to pass out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a wide margin sometime today, if it hasn't already … Continue reading Corked up

Iran has barred its citizens from traveling to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah, or lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, which is the recommended-but-not-obligatory pilgrimage that can be performed any time (as opposed to the obligatory Hajj, which has to be performed during the annual Hajj). Ostensibly, Iranian authorities are reacting to a report that two … Continue reading The Iran-Saudi pilgrimage dispute has historical precedent

From the ever-elusive 15 minute a day workout that will give you a six pack or the "make $27383 a week working from home" spam ads you see on the internet tubes all the time, it's clear that people are wired to hope for some quick, easy fix to their problems. That impulse must only … Continue reading Hope springs eternal

Today, in Foreign Policy: I'm not a Pakistan expert by any means, so I could be wrong, but I thought this was an excellent piece and I recommend you check it out. Very critical of Pakistan's many political and economic failures, particularly its inability or outright lack of desire to do something about the many … Continue reading Shot in the dark

Hey, cool, it's Dick Cheney! What noises are coming from Dick's mouth hole today that probably he should have just not said? Every so often Dick Cheney will appear in public to vocalize his latest irritable mental gesture. Today he appeared with right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt to assert the following: “I vacillate between the … Continue reading Who should really probably just shut up today? (HINT: it’s always Dick Cheney)

Saudi Arabia and the rest of the coalition it bought assembled from other like-minded altrustic nations began bombing Houthi and Saleh-allied forces in Yemen on March 25. At the time, the map of Yemen looked like this: Today, after a good two weeks of sustained bombing, the map of Yemen looks something like this: Which … Continue reading Tales of Successful Military Interventions: Yemen

Today we should celebrate the 150th anniversary of surrender of a gang of armed insurrectionists at Appomatox. Since he's rerunning the piece today, and because a. I've read it and it's fascinating and b. it's in line with the kind of stuff I like to do around here when I have a chance, I'm sending … Continue reading Michael Collins Dunn on Civil War Officers in the Egyptian Army