Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran arrived for a state visit in Lebanon on Wednesday. Much attention has been given to the wild greeting he has received, and his meeting with the Lebanese prime minister, Saad Hariri, and president, Michel Suleiman, announcing a number of bilateral agreements. While these events are true,...

Throughout its short life, Israel has engaged in many actions that the world democracies have deemed dubious and inconsistent with Israel's claim to be "the only democracy in the Middle East." One can mention the Israeli wall in the West Bank, Wars on Lebanon and Gaza, a choking...

About a month ago, before there was any conversation in the American news media about the insignificant Florida pastor, Terry Jones, and his plan to burn around 200 copies of the Qur'an on September 11, the story was a hot topic of discussion on a number of Jihadi websites. The...

Fareed Zakaria has been able to get more recognition for his name throughout his years as the editor of Newsweek, and now as the host of Global Public Square on CNN. And usually, he deserves it. He brings in a fresh perspective and is of course able to bring some...

Fareed Zakaria has been able to get a lot of name recognition throughout his years as the editor of Newsweek, and now as the host of Global Public Square on CNN. And usually, he deserves it. He brings in a fresh perspective and is of course able to bring some...

The Obama Administration has lately been hungry for some good news from Afghanistan. President Obama's base who strongly supported his stated plan during the campaign to renew U.S. efforts in Afghanistan has abandoned him, significantly shortening the amount of time he has to succeed. Meanwhile, the Taliban seem to continue...

Helen Thomas, the veteran journalist and dean of the White House Press Corp, abruptly retired on Monday in the wake of a comment she made following the Israeli raid on the Turkish Flotilla in international waters that killed nine activists, including an American citizen. During a conversation that was videotaped,...

Members of the Israeli Defense Forces engaged in a hostile take-over of humanitarian ships in international waters in an operation that left nine activists dead. The ships were organized as part of the Free Gaza Movement and were trying to breach a long-standing blockade on Gaza that has been sucking...

Last week, President Obama nominated Solicitor General, Elena Kagan, to be the next Supreme Court Justice. As expected, the Republicans reacted to the nomination the way they were planning to: cluttering the airwaves with a series of attacks and criticisms. Among these has been the criticism that during her time...

A group of French psychologists recently recruited 80 volunteers for what they claimed was a pilot for a new TV Show. The game involved posing questions to another "player" -- in reality, an actor --and punishing him with as much as 460 volts of electricity when he answered wrong as...

Here in Washington, there are too many self-proclaimed "experts" on Iran. When it comes to answering the question of how the Obama administration must conduct its policies relating to Iran, most of these experts line up behind one of two recommendations, both flawed. Those on the right believe the U.S....

Elizabeth Cohen of CNN reported on Monday morning on some hospitals are charging $53 for a pair of disposable gloves, $140 for a single Tylenol and a whopping $1,000 for a toothbrush -- yes, a simple, non-electronic toothbrush. It goes -- or should go -- without saying that these numbers...

For the past number of years, the prevailing view in foreign policy circles in Washington has been that China's economic growth of 9%, along with the recent economic recession that hit the United States, has shifted the balance of Sino-U.S. relations in China's favor. During a recent conversation I had...

On Jan. 26, a French Parliamentary report recommended a ban on burqas (the full body covering for Islamic women) in certain public buildings. The move came as no surprise for those familiar with the religious and political climate inside France. Following the event, even a French Imam

Over the past few months, Iran has showed continued defiance in face of demands by the international community to answer questions about its nuclear program. Meanwhile, the country's internal turmoil following the fraudulent election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as President Obama's attempts to open dialogue with Iran have impacted...

The readers responded strongly to a piece on Monday about the urgency for the global community to get involved on Iran, because the current lack of strong central leadership can lead to a major power vacuum that can further push the country and region into chaos after the...

On Sunday, protesters marked the annual Shiite holiday of Ashoura and mourning of Imam Hossein's death in his battle against a dictator by engaging in widespread protests against Iran's own modern dictator. As I was on Skype talking to Iran, I could hear people chanting "Allah o Akbar" and "death...

On Tuesday, Time Magazine announced the magazine's coveted person of the year: Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve. As is often the case, many people seem unconvinced that the winner deserved the victory. But even after looking beyond Ben Bernanke's merits as an effective chairman, there are...

After visiting one of my friends in Toronto a few years ago, I was on the train coming back to the United States. As the train arrived at the border, it stopped for the customs and border protection agents to check the passports. One of the agents approached me and...

In March of 2007, three American soldiers detained four suspects in Iraq. They were supposed to take them to a detainee housing area. But instead, the first sergeant in the group approached another soldier in the group, Pfc Josh Hartson, and asked him whether he would have a problem "if...