Latest Analysis and Commentary
by Con Coughlin • May 25, 2025 at 5:00 am
Far from helping to end the war in Ukraine, all the indications suggest that US President Donald Trump's mediation efforts are not only prolonging the conflict, but increasing the likelihood that Russia will ultimately emerge victorious. Indeed, far from showing any interest in ending Russia's military offensive in Ukraine, the Russian leader has given every intention that he intends to continue fighting until victory has been achieved. Nor does there appear to be any serious prospect that Trump will be willing to hit the Kremlin with further sanctions, let alone military encouragement, if it fails to show any serious interest in peace negotiations. The problem with Trump's hands-off approach to the Ukraine conflict is that it could ultimately prove counterproductive for the US and its allies, as the more Washington indicates it is losing interest in the conflict, the more encouraged Moscow becomes that it will ultimately achieve victory. This outcome would be a disaster for the entire Nato alliance -- including the US, which would see its extensive trade ties with Europe threatened by Russian aggression. In addition, Trump walking away from the conflict would be seen worldwide as a green light to other US adversaries, such as Iran and China, that it is open season, as the US is not serious about defending any allied territory. As someone who shows a keen interest in expanding America's trade ties, Trump of all people should understand the disastrous implications another Putin-inspired war would have for the US economy.
Far from showing any interest in ending Russia's military offensive in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has given every intention that he intends to continue fighting until victory has been achieved. Pictured: Putin in Moscow on March 19, 2025. (Photo by Alexei Nikolsky/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Far from helping to end the war in Ukraine, all the indications suggest that US President Donald Trump's mediation efforts are not only prolonging the conflict, but increasing the likelihood that Russia will ultimately emerge victorious. Trump's pledge to end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office now seems but a distant memory. Instead, his belief that he could use his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin to implement a lasting ceasefire has amounted to nothing, with Trump now conceding that the Russian autocrat has shown little interest in negotiating a peace deal. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump has informed European allies that Putin is not ready to end the war because he believes he is winning. Trump apparently made the acknowledgement during a call with European leaders that followed a May 19 phone call with Putin, with whom he claims to have a special relationship.
Continue Reading Article
by Amir Taheri • May 25, 2025 at 4:00 am
[T]he hypocrisy of those grand principles and sentiments is illustrated by the fact that 24 hours after Macron, Barrot and de Villepin invoked them to justify their trompe-l'oeil anti-Israel posture, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau unveiled a 76-page report designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a present and imminent threat to France's national security. The report, compiled over two years, labels the Muslim Brotherhood as an international organization that promotes extremism and covers terrorist activities across the globe. De Villepin and his ilk see Hamas as a "liberation movement" that cannot be eliminated. Yet, Hamas has never dubbed itself such. It sees itself as part of the Muslim Brotherhood, with global ambitions, and has deliberately kept the very word "Palestine" out of its identity. It doesn't want to "liberate" Palestine, however defined; its stated goal is to wipe Israel off the map. No one can deny France's right to take sides in this tragic conflict. But there are two things that cannot be accepted. The first is to hide or redefine the identity of the side you take. The second in this particular case is to use explicit or implicit sympathy for Hamas as a cover for a crackdown on real or imagined "threatening" outfits in France itself. The French leaders only state what they want Israel to do; never what Hamas should do. They forget that Hamas could instantly end this war by releasing all remaining hostages and surrendering its arms.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot have been doing nothing but invoking grand principles and grand sentiments in a rather quixotic way with regard to the ongoing tragedy in the Gaza Strip. Pictured: Macron speaks, flanked by Barrot, at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on April 17, 2025. (Photo by Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
If you are under pressure to do something but know that you can't do anything, what do you do? Well, you do nothing but to appear to be doing something. You invoke grand principles and grand sentiments. This is what French President Emmanuel Macron and his Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot have been doing in a rather quixotic way with regard to the ongoing tragedy in the Gaza Strip. The French leaders are talking of taking "concrete measures," not realizing that in philosophical parlance, a measure that isn't concrete isn't a measure but a "henid," a concept that dissolves into nothing in contact with reality. So far, they have talked of three concrete measures.
Continue Reading Article
by Lawrence Kadish • May 25, 2025 at 3:00 am
President Donald Trump is now seeking to restore American strategic deterrence by ordering the creation of what he is calling "Golden Dome." Essentially, it is a multi-layered defense system of anti-missile missiles, satellite surveillance networks, and AI computers that can react to threats within nanoseconds. Pictured: Trump speaks to the media about the Golden Dome project, alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, at the White House on May 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
As one who lived through the darkest days of the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union had sufficient nuclear weapons to destroy each other many times over, along with the rest of the world, the key to keeping the peace was the knowledge that neither nation would survive the contest. It was called the balance of terror, deterring the other guy from launching its ballistic missiles because it was understood you would be on the receiving end of same within 20 minutes. Today, that deterrence is gone, leaving nuclear-armed terrorist nations such as Iran with the means of using low-flying hypersonic missiles to evade early-warning radars until minutes from impact.
Continue Reading Article
by Majid Rafizadeh • May 24, 2025 at 5:00 am
"When you chant 'Death to America!' it is not just a slogan – it is a policy." — Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Channel 1 (Iran), November 1, 2023. What did Iran do with this windfall of billions in cash and at least $100 billion in unfrozen assets received during Obama's term? They funneled the money into Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, the regime's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and a sprawling regional terror network. Iran enriched uranium and built long-range ballistic missiles -- some with a range far beyond what is needed to attack Israel. Iran expanded its influence in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Venezuela -- all while promising America's destruction with renewed fervor. The dangerous reality is that while the United States continues to dangle olive branches, Iran continues to rebuild its air defense systems and enlarge up its ballistic missile arsenal for future attacks. Like Russia's and China's, Iran's is not a regime seeking peace. The willingness of many American foreign policy elites to believe that everyone can be "brought in from the cold" is what continues to place the U.S. in constant danger. The cruel fact is that the China, Russia and Iran have different goals than the United States. The US and Trump want peace and prosperity. China, Russia and Iran do not give a flying lawbook about their citizens; they want conquest We are not victims of Iran's deception; we are victims of our own delusions. [E]very time a new U.S. president takes office, the same tired fantasy sprouts up: "This time, it will be different." No, it will not. The regime has not changed. We keep forgetting, and keep hoping that if we are nice enough or bribe them enough, or if they bribe us enough, they will give up their dreams of an Islamist empire. America, and especially Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and all Congress need to wake up and acknowledge that the U.S. cannot find peace through isolationism, and that Iran, Russia and China will not be America's partners in peace.
As Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said, "When you chant 'Death to America!' it is not just a slogan – it is a policy." The Iranian regime was birthed through hatred of America and anti-Western rage, and over four decades later, that hatred has not only endured — it has intensified. This is the all-important truth that too many U.S. leaders, across both parties, have failed to internalize. Their failure to understand this fundamental reality has made America more vulnerable, not less. (Image source: MEMRI) Since the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, its regime has operated with one unshakable and unwavering ideological mission: to defy, destabilize and ultimately destroy the influence and presence of the United States and its allies, especially Israel. This is not speculation. It is in the slogans shouted in their streets, in the sermons delivered by their clerics, and in the laws enshrined in their constitution. Iran's constitution explicitly declares its goal to export the Islamic Revolution beyond its borders. Jihad is not merely permitted -- it is prescribed. The preamble states: "The Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps... will be responsible not only for guarding and preserving the frontiers of the country but also for fulfilling the ideological mission of jihad in God's way; that is, extending the sovereignty of God's law throughout the world."
Continue Reading Article
by Nils A. Haug • May 23, 2025 at 5:30 am
What instead seems to be considered important is the great new cause to refabricate society in accordance with a skewed view of social justice, that consists not of individuals but identity groups, and that decides which of those may, or may not, be members of some private global "club." No wonder Western society, especially in Europe, seems to be bordering on implosion. "The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and by the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions." — From the 1991 Muslim Brotherhood document, "An Explanatory Memorandum On the General Strategic Goal for the Group In North America" It was probably to be expected with the election of President Donald J. Trump, and with the fearless leadership of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that a repudiation of those policies by opponents in both countries, would focus all their resources on bringing these two statesmen down. As Netanyahu's detractors bring one charge after the other in a continual attempt to bring him down, one cannot but wonder who Israel's real enemies actually are. It appears that some prominent politicians and high-level officials are possibly prepared to destroy their own nation in pursuit of their ambitions for power, and to impose their own ideologies on its people. Netanyahu and others no doubt see through their bogus proclamations they are "protecting democracy."
It was probably to be expected with the election of President Donald J. Trump, and with the fearless leadership of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that a repudiation of those policies by opponents in both countries, would focus all their resources on bringing these two statesmen down. Pictured: Trump bids farewell to Netanyahu at the White House, after a meeting on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The culture of Western society is Judeo-Christian. Its respect for individuals, its humanitarian morality, the need for empirical evidence, and entreaties such as "Love thy neighbor as thyself"' (Leviticus 19:18) -- echoed by Mark and Matthew in the New Testament -- are the values that have formed the foundation for all education in the West. As we have seen, however, as recently as this week, however, when two young innocent staffers at the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C., were gunned down, there have been increasing attacks on these Judeo-Christian social values. Both anarchistic revolutionaries and many religious zealots apparently wish to eradicate and replace them, presumably on the way to a world order featuring themselves. The Italian Marxist, Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937), instructed his supporters:
Continue Reading Article
by Bassam Tawil • May 22, 2025 at 5:00 am
The real nakba [catastrophe, for Palestinians] was that they started a war and lost it. Well, if you start a war, that is what can happen. The Trump administration should beware of countries where the mouth says one thing but the legs do the opposite. Believe the legs. The Iranians and Palestinians have not given up their dream of eliminating Israel and America. Iran's leaders do the same thing. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reassures Americans that "We are not seeking war, we favor negotiation and dialogue." Meanwhile, Khamenei calls for the elimination of the "Zionist regime" and endorses "Death to America." It is time for the Trump administration and other Westerners to see that the Palestinians and the Iranian regime do not want Israel or America in the Middle East -- period -- and are prepared to do anything to achieve this goal, including with nuclear weapons.
It is time for the Trump administration and other Westerners to see that the Palestinians and the Iranian regime do not want Israel or America in the Middle East -- period -- and are prepared to do anything to achieve this goal, including with nuclear weapons. Pictured: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) meets with the late Ismail Haniyeh (C), then head of the political bureau of Hamas, and Ziyad al-Nakhalah, Secretary General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, on July 30, 2024. (Photo by the Iranian Supreme Leader's Press Office via Getty Images)
In many respects, Hamas, the Iran-backed terror group, has always been more forthright and honest about its goals regarding Israel than its rivals in the Palestinian Authority (PA). When one listens to leaders of the PA and the leaders of Hamas in Arabic, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between them. Their rhetoric, for instance, to vilify Israel, is identical: "The Zionist Enemy", "the Zionist Entity", the State of Occupation", and "the Apartheid State". Hamas and the PA both view the establishment of Israel as a "catastrophe" (nakba) and call for flooding it with millions of Palestinian "refugees" so that Jews become a minority to eliminate or cast out.
Continue Reading Article
by Daniel Greenfield • May 21, 2025 at 5:00 am
[T]he Obama administration and some figures in the current administration insist on pretending that a deal can be made to keep Iran's nuclear program peaceful. Defenders of rebooting Obama's 2015 JCPOA Iran nuclear deal have taken to calling critics "globalists," and claim that bringing back Obama's old policy is somehow "America First." They insist that being realistic about Iran's nuclear program is a plot by the military-industrial complex and the CIA. But it was the CIA and the 'intelligence community' that bailed out Iran during the George W. Bush administration, by falsely declaring in the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate that "we judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program." The Trump administration can... maintain sanctions, it can take out the program, or it can do absolutely nothing. But it should be clear-eyed about what Iran's nuclear program is and what it's for. Deals with terrorists and terror states are worthless. Any agreement with Iran can only end one way, and that's with a terror state whose motto is "Death to America" gaining the ability to carry out that threat against us. Iran's civilian nuclear program is as much of a front as a mob chain of pizza parlors. Negotiating with Islamic terrorists is a waste of America's power and credibility. And it seduces those who negotiate with terrorists into believing that a deal is possible no matter how high the red flags fly.
Iran has some of the cheapest electricity prices in the world. A country where electricity is vastly cheaper than America isn't looking to lower power costs. Iran is not interested in peaceful applications of nuclear energy, but in nuclear weapons. That's why it's been willing to lose $1 trillion and go to war to protect its nuclear program. Pictured: The reactor building of the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
Iran has some of the cheapest electricity prices in the world. The average cost of electricity in the United States per kilowatt-hour is $0.181. In Iran it's $0.004/kWh. A country where electricity is vastly cheaper than America isn't looking to lower power costs. Iran joins Libya, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar and other oil-rich countries as having some of the cheapest electricity prices in the world. Countries with vast energy reserves and production don't need nuclear energy the way that Germany or France, which depend on imports, do. Saudi Arabia, with $0.053/kWh electricity, did not begin pursuing a nuclear program because it needed to lower its energy costs. Neither did the UAE. The Saudis and Emiratis became interested in developing a "civilian" nuclear program only as Iran's nuclear program took off.
Continue Reading Article
by Alan Dershowitz and Andrew Stein • May 20, 2025 at 5:00 am
There can be no reasonable doubt that Iran's mullahs are determined to obtain nuclear weapons, despite their assurances to the contrary. Nor can Israel, which is the intended target of an Iranian bomb, be expected to rely on deterrence or containment. Iran must be prevented from achieving their dangerous goal. [U]nless your deal includes the complete and total destruction of all Iranian nuclear facilities, there will be no guarantee that its scientists could not surreptitiously use civilian nuclear infrastructure to build military weaponry. The only deal that would prevent this catastrophe would be one modeled on the agreement made with Libya made back in 2003. That deal completely dismantled Libya's nuclear facilities and made it impossible for them to weaponize nuclear energy infrastructure. Anything short of that will create an unacceptable risk. We urge you to use your incredible negotiating skills to achieve the goal that you have set out: namely a 100% certainty that Iran will never get a nuclear bomb.
Pictured: Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian stands on the dais along with senior military officers, as a Sayyad ballistic missile passes by during a military parade, in Tehran on September 21, 2024. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
Dear Mr. President, You are about to make a decision for which you will be remembered by history. Your legacy will either be as a world leader who saved, or failed to save, many lives. The decision concerns Iran's intention to develop a nuclear arsenal. There can be no reasonable doubt that Iran's mullahs are determined to obtain nuclear weapons, despite their assurances to the contrary. Nor can Israel, which is the intended target of an Iranian bomb, be expected to rely on deterrence or containment. Iran must be prevented from achieving their dangerous goal.
Continue Reading Article
by Melanie Phillips • May 20, 2025 at 4:00 am
[I]f Qatar could force Hamas to release Alexander, then it could have got the other hostages released, too. That's because Qatar is Hamas. Yet the Americans have fawned over the Gulf state and praised it to the skies. It's hard to see these [gifts] as anything other than inducements to persuade Trump to advance Qatar's interests. Doha has other links to the Trump administration, of which the most egregious is that Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has gushed over Qatar in cloying terms, is in its debt. In 2023, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund bought out his faltering investment in New York's Park Lane Hotel for $623 million. Qatar represents the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist organization that is intent upon conquering the West for Islam. It is pursuing this aim by turning not just Witkoff but America and Britain into its hopelessly compromised debtors. The Free Press has reported that Qatar has spent almost $100 billion to advance its interests in the U.S., in Congress, colleges and universities, newsrooms, think tanks and corporations — in other words, to suborn America. Saudi support for al-Sharaa is doubtless to prevent Iran from again using Syria as its puppet. While Iran's eclipse in Syria is welcome, its replacement by the Islamist Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the resident strongman is hardly a cause for celebration. While the clock is ticking and they [Iran] are racing to build the bomb, they're dangling Trump at the end of a string to buy time to rebuild the air defenses that Israel destroyed last October. If Trump isn't careful, he's going to end up in exactly the same bad place as his left-wing foes... There's no doubting Trump's genuine commitment to Israel and the Jewish people. But it's now clear that he has an almost messianic belief that he can end all wars and bring peace to the world through his ability to make deals. He thinks that he can make even the most bloodthirsty tyrants an offer they can't refuse. He doesn't care about the justice of a cause. He just wants to stop the killing. [T]he alternative to imposing Western values on the Arab world is not choosing to ignore the attempt by elements of that Arab world to impose Islam on the West. The correct course of action is, as it always has been, to fight and defeat these threats to Western interests. Trump says he doesn't have enemies. Where others see threats, he sees only financial opportunities. The inconvenient truth, however, is that some people are out to destroy America and the West. If Trump doesn't regard these as enemies, he will leave America and the West defenseless against attack.
It's hard to see Qatar's gifts as anything other than inducements to persuade President Donald Trump to advance its interests. Qatar represents the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist organization that is intent upon conquering the West for Islam. Pictured: Trump and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at a state dinner in Doha, Qatar on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
When Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election last year, many in Israel thought they'd dodged a bullet. The Democratic Party was viscerally hostile to Israel, while Trump was considered the greatest friend the Jewish state had ever had in the White House. Now the Israelis are wondering whether they have escaped one nightmare to find themselves in another. They were blindsided by the Trump administration's decision to stop attacking the Houthis after the Islamist group promised to end its attacks on shipping in the Red Sea while continuing to fire missiles at Israel. The Israelis were also cut out of the hostage deal that secured the release of 21-year-old American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander. Of course, the release of any hostage is a source of profound relief. But many were shocked that the United States dealt with Hamas directly to get an American citizen out, while Hamas ditched a broader hostage deal that was on the verge of being clinched.
Continue Reading Article
by Khaled Abu Toameh • May 19, 2025 at 5:00 am
In the eyes of Iran and the Houthis, Trump's separate peace deal that excluded Israel is a captivating green light to continue their attacks on "The Little Satan", while obligingly halting their assaults on vessels in the Red Sea. Trump's deal with the Houthis sent everyone in the Middle East the message that the Trump administration has finally thrown Israel under the bus. Worse, Trump's agreement does not require the Houthis to abandon their jihad (holy war) against either the US or Israel. "[The Palestinians are] ecstatic that their employer, Qatar, just "purchased" the US presidency with a $400 million 747 jet and a Golf Course...." — Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, Palestinian political analyst, X, May 11, 2025. Qatar wanted the American-Israeli hostage released as a gesture to Trump on the eve of his visit to the Gulf state. Hamas leaders were not able to say no to Qatar, and immediately complied. This event shows that Qatar has enough influence over Hamas to instruct it to release all the hostages. Qatar could have used its influence from the beginning to force Hamas to release all of them; but it did not. Qatar wants to make sure that its long-standing allies, Iran and Hamas, remain strong and in power after the current war. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are being played and appear not even to know it. If they do know it, personal friendships and financial rescues have apparently taken priority over hard-nosed negotiating. Their only priority seems to have been raking in trillions of dollars from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, a Trump golf resort in Saudi Arabia, a $400 million "flying palace" from Qatar, a Trump hotel in Dubai and the promise of a Trump Tower in Damascus. "Donald Trump may go down in history as the American President who empowered Islamism around the globe [by funding Syria's al-Sharaa], more than any other president in the history of the USA." — Nervana Mahmoud, Egyptian political analyst, X, May 13, 2025. Trump and his advisors undoubtedly have good intentions, but... trying to strike deals with Iran and its Hamas and Houthi terror proxies, instead emboldens these terrorists and enemies of the US. After Trump returns to Washington, he will quickly discover that the Islamists and their sponsors in the Middle East have not changed. Iran, Hamas and the Houthis will continue to call for death to Israel and America. Qatar will continue to provide political and financial support to anti-American Islamists and other Jihadis. As for Syria's jihadist president, the belief that he will transform himself into a moderate pro-Western Arab leader and a democrat is, unfortunately, nothing but a joke. Saudi Arabia, under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also appears to be moving in that direction, though at a much slower pace. MBS will not join the Abraham Accords. Trump's wish that he would sign onto them "in your own time" is a sweet, naïve dream. If Trump were to use military force against Iran's nuclear weapons program, it would not only be a blow to Tehran and its terror proxies, it would enormously empower the moderate Arabs and Muslims who correctly view the mullahs as a threat to their national security and stability. If Trump wants real peace and prosperity, he must, unfortunately, act against Iran and its terror proxies, and distance himself from jihadists and their sponsors, especially Qatar. Such a move would be the best way to expand the Abraham Accords and encourage other Arabs to seize hold of Trump's great promise.
President Donald Trump's visit to Qatar -- Hamas's major sponsor and funder -- is seen by many Palestinians and Arabs as a victory for the Palestinian terror group. If Trump wants real peace and prosperity, he must, unfortunately, act against Iran and its terror proxies, and distance himself from jihadists and their sponsors, especially Qatar. Pictured: Trump speaks with Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al Thani as he departs the Al Udeid Air Base on May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
As US President Donald J. Trump was being hosted in Saudi Arabia by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen fired another ballistic missile at Israel. The missile, which flew over Saudi Arabia on its way to Israel, was fortunately intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces before reaching its intended target. The Houthis, in fact, fired three ballistic missiles at Israel, right over the Crown Prince's head. The missile attacks came less than a week after Trump announced that he had reached a separate ceasefire deal with the Houthis to end their attacks on American-flagged vessels in the Red Sea. "They just don't want to fight, and we will honor that," Trump said. "We will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated. But more importantly, we will take their word. They said they will not be blowing up any ships anymore."
Continue Reading Article
by Con Coughlin • May 18, 2025 at 5:00 am
[Trump's] soft approach, however, to the Saudi Crown Prince -- that he was welcome to join the Abraham Accords "in your own time" -- could easily be a "never".... "This is Qatar's classic game: support the Islamist terrorists and then present itself as a mediator, liaison, and even peacemaker – the arsonist playing firefighter. As in Afghanistan, as in Egypt in 2010, and as in every Muslim country." — Yigal Carmon, a former Israeli intelligence officer and founder and president of the Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI), May 15, 2025. "Mr. Trump revealed the essential philosophy behind his foreign-policy decisions: He hates war and loves gold. That's it. To hear it fully, to get near its meaning and debate its sufficiency, you had to step over so much broken glass. 'Flying Palace' Violates Emoluments Clause. Sons Enjoy Steep Profits From Trump Presidency." — Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal, May 15, 2025. If Trump is really serious about achieving his goal of bringing peace to Gaza, then his first course of action should be to persuade the Qataris to end their funding of Hamas, which has allowed it to maintain its murderous war against Israel. Trump should also once again demand that Qatar's client, Hamas, release all remaining hostages by the end of the week. "The President is offering a foreign-policy realism built on commerce, but shorn of American idealism." — Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, May 16, 2025. Also, what precedent is being set? Would the first gesture toward all future administrations be to bestow lavish tributes on the president and his family members to gain preferential treatment from the US? Trump's political rivals may well be hoping that their chance has finally come to impeach him again -- this time with $400 million dollars' worth of evidence. "Sorry," the New York Post noted, "this 'gift' is far from free; Qatar will surely expect something in return." Trump would be well-advised to reconsider their gift of a luxury jet and reject this highly questionable offer.
Given the Qataris' history of double-dealing with the West, negotiating lucrative contracts with Western firms while at the same time funding Islamist terror groups, US President Donald Trump would be well-advised to reconsider their gift of a $400 million luxury jet and reject this highly questionable offer. Pictured: The Boeing 747 that Qatar intends to give as a gift to Trump sits in Palm Beach International Airport on February 15, 2025. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
If US President Donald Trump is really serious about bringing peace to the Middle East, then he should rethink again accepting the gift of a luxury $400 million aircraft from the rulers of Qatar. The country is renowned for its continuing support for Islamist terror groups, for continuing to fan the flames that would reignite the fundamentalist Arab Spring, for anti-US terrorist activity and for attacks on the US. Far from being allies of the US, the Qataris have, in recent years, done their level best to undermine American efforts to bring peace to and stability to the Middle East, not to mention radicalising US higher education. The Middle East Forum's Benjamin Baird has detailed how, since 2012, "Qatar's $40 Billion Spending Spree Buys Influence and Control of Elite Institutions."
Continue Reading Article
by Amir Taheri • May 18, 2025 at 4:00 am
Since we are now used to a new kind of journalism, let's call that the journalism of what might be, as opposed to what has actually happened. In it, projection, not to say fantasy, often replaces the reporting of facts. [W]e were immediately told that Leo XIV will continue the path traced by Pope Francis by supporting the Palestinian cause, showing an understanding of "alternative lifestyles", becoming a defender of the poor and illegal immigrants and an anti-Trump activist, in short a very woke pope. The first Pope Leo, who headed the Catholic Church from 440-461, was canonized a saint because, according to lore or legend, he met Attila the Hun and persuaded the ruthless invader of Europe to spare Rome. Today, Leo XIV may be facing another Attila in the shape of the woke movement that tries to re-write history, redefine faith and remold the world by championing fake noble causes.
Pictured: Pope Leo XIV arrives in St Peter's Square on May 18, 2025, in Vatican City. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
He had hardly finished addressing the crowd in front of Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City that Robert Provost, as the newly minted Pope Leo XIV, was transformed into a blank face on which interest groups and lobbies of all kind could draw the image they would like him to become. Since we are now used to a new kind of journalism, let's call that the journalism of what might be, as opposed to what has actually happened. In it, projection, not to say fantasy, often replaces the reporting of facts. So, we were immediately told that Leo XIV will continue the path traced by Pope Francis by supporting the Palestinian cause, showing an understanding of "alternative lifestyles", becoming a defender of the poor and illegal immigrants and an anti-Trump activist, in short a very woke pope. One of Trump's most prominent Catholic allies, Steve Bannon, called Leo the "worst pick for MAGA Catholics," casting him as the "anti-Trump pope."
Continue Reading Article
by Majid Rafizadeh • May 17, 2025 at 5:00 am
Iran appears to be using diplomacy to stall, deceive and advance its nuclear capabilities behind closed doors, while securing financial and geopolitical concessions from the West. The disturbing part is not that Iran's mullahs are following their usual tactics. The horror is that American officials and Western leaders appear to be falling for this shell-game all over again. The problem with enriching hostile regimes to "buy quiet" is that this is the money they use to build nuclear weapons with which to attack us. An additional problem, unfortunately, is that the Iranian regime has a well-documented history of lying. No deal that permits any level of enrichment or allows Iran to keep its centrifuges intact will prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. We are trying to "deal" with theocrats who believe it is their divine duty to destroy Israel and America, and take over the oil-rich states in the Persian Gulf. What makes the current situation even more exasperating is that despite decades of talks, deals and diplomatic theater with North Korea, Russia, China and Iran, we have watched them exploit Western weakness and lack of resolve time and again right under our noses. Yet, like Charlie Brown and the football, the West insists on accepting the same failed, bogus guarantees. We do not need another Swiss-cheese agreement filled with loopholes. We do not need photo-ops and press conferences proclaiming bogus triumphs.
Iran appears to be using diplomacy to stall, deceive and advance its nuclear capabilities behind closed doors, while securing financial and geopolitical concessions from the West. Pictured: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to the media during the signing ceremony for his book, The Power of Negotiation, in Muscat, Oman on April 25, 2025. (Photo by Haitham Al-Shukairi/AFP via Getty Images)
As the United States continues negotiations with Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, if it does not already have them, it has become clear that the Islamic Republic's regime is not pursuing these talks in good faith. Far from viewing negotiations as a means toward a peaceful resolution, the Iranian regime appears to see them as a tool that has proven successful before, not only for itself but also for its authoritarian ally, North Korea. Iran appears to be using diplomacy to stall, deceive and advance its nuclear capabilities behind closed doors, while securing financial and geopolitical concessions from the West. The disturbing part is not that Iran's mullahs are following their usual tactics. The horror is that American officials and Western leaders appear to be falling for this shell-game all over again.
Continue Reading Article
by Gordon G. Chang • May 16, 2025 at 5:00 am
[T]he arrangement is a win for China. The main barrier to American goods in China, however, is not Chinese tariffs but China's many non-tariff barriers, which are untouched by the new deal. Therefore, the tariff rollbacks benefit Chinese exporters far more than America's. The Chinese promise is unlikely to be worth anything. The only way Xi Jinping can honor his pledge is to give up most elements of communism, because non-tariff barriers, predatory trade practices, and even theft are inherent in that system. Trump is still hoping for robust relations with the Communist Party, but unfortunately that is not possible. Xi cannot now admit that China needs the United States, and he certainly cannot be seen as giving in to American coercion. In fact, the Chinese regime since the tariff announcement has been crowing about its win over Trump. On May 12, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking to CNBC's "Squawk Box," urged a "decoupling for strategic necessities." Yes. And "a complete decoupling," which as Trump tweeted in 2020 would remain "a policy option," would be even better. Why should Americans shovel any cash to Communist Party's coffers?
The White House has termed the new trade arrangement with China "a historic trade win for the United States." No, the arrangement is a win for China. President Donald Trump effectively traded tangible relief from American tariffs for China's vague promise to open up its economy. Pictured: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (R) and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer hold a news conference in Geneva on May 12, 2025, to give details of trade talks between American and Chinese officials. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
On May 12, President Donald Trump announced a "total reset with China." "The best part of the deal," he said, was that "China agreed to open itself up to American business." Beijing, Trump proclaimed, will "suspend and remove all of its non-monetary barriers." In the meantime, both the U.S. and China agreed to drop tariffs by 115 percentage points. The general American tariff rate on China's goods is now 30%. The general Chinese rate is 10%. Both reductions will be in effect for 90 days. China also agreed to reverse "all the non-tariff countermeasures taken against the United States since April 2, 2025." American tariffs in place before April 2, such as the Section 232 and Section 301 levies, remain in effect. These moves, in sum, undo American and Chinese measures that were put in place from April 2, what Trump has called "Liberation Day." The White House termed the arrangement "a historic trade win for the United States."
Continue Reading Article
by Lawrence Kadish • May 15, 2025 at 3:00 pm
Pictured: President Donald Trump signs an executive order on prescription drug prices, in the White House, on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
The first 115 days of the Trump Administration have been filled more remedial action than we have seen from most presidents in their entire terms. Invariably, the forecasters focus on the next 12 short months while failing to appreciate the sweep of history that has brought us to this next chapter of American history. The pessimistic "bears" among us have warned that there are systematic threats to our economy, our nation, and the stability of the world. The optimistic "bulls" will tout the enormous advances in reducing the former administration's inflation and out-of-control illegal border crossings, the brimming new technology, foreign investments in the trillions that will bring many new jobs, Wall Street confidence, and a resilient American economy that continues to set the pace for the rest of the world. In truth, they are both right, and the reality of America in the first half of 2025 is far more nuanced than any one side would have you believe.
Continue Reading Article
|
