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Evaluating the ISIS threat: Deadly or just photogenic?
Posted on February 17, 2015 1 Comment
As President Obama asks Congress to pass a measure clarifying and making official the United States mission in the Middle East against the Islamic State, it’s worth taking a step back to consider just who and what U.S. forces are up against — and if there’s any meaningful way to make a difference. News media […]
Exploiting the ISIS bogeyman
Posted on September 29, 2014 Leave a Comment
Well, that didn’t take long. Cue the scary music: Republicans are using ISIS to prop themselves up as the supposed best hope to protect the nation’s security. Only the GOP can save you from being murdered in your beds. Members of the Islamic State are clearly the scariest thugs EVER. So say ads backing Republican […]
Obama’s no-win choices on ISIS
Posted on September 10, 2014 Leave a Comment
Tonight President Obama will address the nation on what his administration plans to do about “degrading and ultimately destroying” the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (or Levant) or ISIS, ISIL, or just IS. Whatever you call it, Obama is faced with a messy situation that is only going to get worse. Strategically, militarily, and […]
Bombing ISIS is not a video game
Posted on September 3, 2014 2 Comments
As usual, too many politicians, pundits, and some members of the American public have the attention span of fruit flies, with even less memory. How else to explain the drumbeat to “bomb ISIS to hell”? President Obama’s nuanced response to a complicated question about strategy against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been […]
