The Obama Administration, which once pledged to impose “crippling sanctions” on Iran’s hostile regime, now seeks to dilute economic sanctions that Congress is considering against Iran. The proposed sanctions, contained in an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, would penalize foreign financial institutions that do business… Read more
Peter Brookes discusses Iran's unveiling of a downed US drone. … Read more
Abstract: Iran will remain a hostile power that poses threats to its neighbors, the United States, and its own people as long as the current regime remains in power. International sanctions have weakened the Iranian economy, but sanctions alone will not halt Iran’s nuclear… Read more
A joint project of American Enterprise Institute, Foreign Policy Initiative, and The Heritage Foundation Background The Obama administration has requested that Congress provide $553 billion for the Defense Department’s base budget in FY 2012—$13 billion less than… Read more
Last week White House Press Secretary Jay Carney promised the President would soon make a major address “on the Middle East and U.S. policy in the Middle East...to a broader audience than just the Arab world.” It is long past time for President Barack Obama to lay out a plan… Read more
Turmoil is spreading across the Middle East, and the consequences of these dramatic changes will be far-reaching. The United States has considerable interests in the region, but the U.S. government needs to both exercise leadership now and develop a long-term plan for protecting the nation’s interests and supporting the cause… Read more
Iran’s hostile regime has been one of the chief beneficiaries of the political turmoil that has convulsed Egypt and Tunisia, which distracted the United States and other countries from the ongoing standoff over Iran’s nuclear program. The dramatic events diverted international attention from Tehran’s stubborn refusal to negotiate an acceptable… Read more
Abstract: Proponents of a containment policy toward Iran are ignoring the harsh realities inherent in seriously pursuing such a policy. First, the U.S. has been trying to contain Iran since the Iranian revolution in 1979, with little success. If Iran develops a nuclear weapon,… Read more
Abstract: Iran’s theocratic Shia regime has used its oil revenues to export the Islamic revolution and to fund an extensive nuclear weapons program. Yet Iran’s energy sector is also its greatest vulnerability, particularly its need to import gasoline to meet domestic demand. The most… Read more
The WikiLeaks release of U.S. diplomatic cables was despicable. But it did, at least, demonstrate that even Muslim leaders believe Iran is an aggressive and ongoing sponsor of terrorism, must not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons capability and cannot be trusted. … Read more
Abstract: Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions are ominous in light of its hostile foreign policy and longstanding support for terrorism. But Iran's repeated threats to annihilate the state of Israel while it develops the world's most dangerous weapons have created an even more explosive situation.… Read more
Those who have not done so recently would benefit from studying what the United States Constitution says about the federal government’s responsibility to provide for the common defense. Most Americans had to memorize the preamble to the Constitution when they were children, so they… Read more
Abstract: The Obama Administration's engagement policy toward Iran has failed to defuse the nuclear standoff. Instead, Iran has continued to conceal and lie about its nuclear weapons program in an attempt to stall until it can present… Read more
Today is the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Iranian hostage crisis, America's first searing experience with Islamist terrorism. On Nov. 4, 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took American diplomats as hostages. Fifty-two Americans were held captive for 444 days in a prolonged crisis that… Read more
President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier this week urged reluctant members of the United Nations Security Council to quickly pass sanctions against Iran. But that is highly unlikely, as Obama himself acknowledged: “Do we have unanimity in the international community? Not yet. And that’s something we have… Read more
When President Barack Obama takes the podium to deliver his State of the Union address on January 25, he has an opportunity to turn the page on a foreign policy and national security agenda. The Obama Doctrine, which guided the first two years of his Administration, put a premium on… Read more
While Americans focus on the significant challenges at home, they must also not forget the growing national security challenges that our nation faces abroad. The world remains a dangerous place, populated with states and groups that hold—or could hold—America and its interests around the world at risk. Terrorism The attempted Christmas Day… Read more
On Sunday, The New York Times reported that Defense Secretary Robert Gates had sent a secret memo to the White House...… Read more