Category Archives: Foreign Policy

A Week Of Squirrels And Nuts Continues . . .

Jonathan Shurberg   December 8, 2015   No Comments on A Week Of Squirrels And Nuts Continues . . .

I’ve stayed away from the whole “Donald Trump wants to ban Muslims” thing, but this story is just too good to pass up. Anything that causes human cyborg Dick Cheney to have a human reaction is a rare and wondrous thing indeed. Former vice president Dick Cheney was one of many who condemned Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims… Read more »

Bigoted, Stupid - And Illegal

Jonathan Shurberg   November 16, 2015   No Comments on Bigoted, Stupid - And Illegal

So we have our first wave of concerted efforts by Republicans to respond to the terror attacks in Paris last Friday. I’m sure it’s going to be very thoughtful, taking into account all of the competing interests at stake. Ha ha. No. 14 states, all but one with a Republican governor, have announced that they will attempt to stop the repost… Read more »

What To Do About ISIS - And What Not To Do

Jonathan Shurberg   November 16, 2015   No Comments on What To Do About ISIS - And What Not To Do

A hundred million years ago, I was an undergraduate international relations major, primarily focusing on US-Soviet relations, Russian history and security studies. Isn’t it great that two out of the three became totally obsolete within five years of my graduation in 1985? (My parents were so pleased with their investment that I paid for law school myself. That investment worked… Read more »

It Begins

Jonathan Shurberg   November 15, 2015   No Comments on It Begins

France has undertaken what is being described as “massive” air attacks against the Islamic State in Syria, less than 48 hours after the horrific events in Paris on Friday night. PARIS — French warplanes struck Islamic State militants in Syria on Sunday, a French government official said, two days after attackers linked to the terrorist group carried out a coordinated assault… Read more »

Paris: Awful, And Going To Get Worse

Jonathan Shurberg   November 13, 2015   No Comments on Paris: Awful, And Going To Get Worse

The death toll is now over 150, and likely to rise substantially. It’s mind-numbing to read and to watch and to hear. One of the world’s great cities is under attack, and we don’t even know whether it’s over yet. In the meantime, the only thing worse than the coverage is contemplating what tomorrow will bring. Charles Pierce was on a plane… Read more »

Congressional Letter To Palestinian Authority

Jonathan Shurberg   November 8, 2015   No Comments on Congressional Letter To Palestinian Authority

369 members of Congress recently wrote to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, “urging him to condemn the recent violence in Israel and end incitement to violence within the Palestinian Authority.” Seven out of eight Maryland congresscritters signed the letter. The only holdout was Donna Edwards. The text of the letter is set forth below. November 3, 2015 His Excellency Mahmoud Abbas… Read more »

Bombing In Turkey

Jonathan Shurberg   October 10, 2015   No Comments on Bombing In Turkey

Hard as it is to believe, things are getting even more violent and destabilizing in the Middle East. Today comes news of a terrorist attack in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Two devastating explosions struck Saturday morning in the heart of Ankara, the Turkish capital, killing more than 80 people who had gathered for a peace rally and heightening tensions just… Read more »

Europe And Refugees

Jonathan Shurberg   September 16, 2015   No Comments on Europe And Refugees

The Post has been churning out a fascinating set of articles by Europe-based reporter Rick Noack about the ongoing crisis of refugees reaching Europe from Iraq and Syria. Here’s a series of links with a brief description of each. This doesn’t begin to cover all the relevant articles, but hits on what I think are the deeper issues in play as… Read more »

GOP Iran Resolution Fails 

Jonathan Shurberg   September 10, 2015   No Comments on GOP Iran Resolution Fails 

Republicans brought up the disapproval resolution on the Iran deal on a motion to proceed, and the motion fell two votes short of the 60 needed on a 58-42 vote. Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a Republican effort to scuttle the Iran nuclear deal, delivering the Obama administration a long-awaited, major foreign policy victory. But with Republicans in both chambers… Read more »