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Obama’s policies would make Machiavelli blush
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| David Ignatius | December 12, 2013 12:12 AM |
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This has been a year when America re-embraced diplomacy after a frustrating decade of war, displaying a relentlessly pragmatic approach that recalls the days of such deal-making former secretaries of state as Henry Kissinger and James A. Baker III.
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Obama needs more transparency in use of drones
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| Peter Singer | December 12, 2013 12:12 AM |
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Last month, Faisal bin Ali Jaber traveled from his home in Yemen to Washington to ask why a United States drone had fired missiles at, and killed, his brother-in-law, a preacher who had spoken out against Al-Qaeda. Also killed in the attack was Jaber’s nephew, a policeman who had come to offer protection to his uncle.
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A bad deal
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| December 10, 2013 12:21 AM |
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“He is treating our issues with a high degree of indifference,” a senior Palestinian official said Monday about U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s current Middle East security proposals.
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Low expectations
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| December 09, 2013 12:22 AM |
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The protocol aspect of the Geneva II peace conference took another step forward this weekend as Ban Ki-moon set Dec. 20 as the date for delivering invitations to the long-awaited gathering.
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A life’s legacy
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| December 07, 2013 12:19 AM |
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The passing of Nelson Mandela is an occasion to hear, read and see a wave of tributes to the symbol of triumph over apartheid and the building of a new South Africa.
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Callous Cabinet
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| December 06, 2013 12:29 AM |
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Amid an acute shortage of tap water, the first heavy rains of the season have arrived.
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Desperate times
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| December 05, 2013 12:46 AM |
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The leader of Hezbollah took to the airwaves Tuesday to voice accusations against Saudi Arabia.
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Political theater
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| December 04, 2013 12:15 AM |
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For some politicians in Lebanon, the presidential election of May 2014 is in full swing. Unfortunately, this means that it’s time to engage in the traditional game of discussing the names of possible “candidates” behind closed doors and then leaking them to the media.
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What Iran can do
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| December 03, 2013 12:22 AM |
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Iran’s foreign minister is on a tour of states in the Gulf, where his discussions with host officials are focusing on two items that are usually mentioned in such encounters: bilateral ties and stability.
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Lax enforcement
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| December 02, 2013 12:31 AM |
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The latest round of fighting in Tripoli serves to remind us, if a reminder was needed, just how weak the authorities are and how incompetent the government is in the face of such senseless violence.
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Slim pickings
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| November 30, 2013 12:17 AM |
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The news that Carlos Slim, one of the richest people on the planet, is focusing efforts on investing some of his vast fortune in Israel should come as no surprise to anyone from Slim’s ancestral homeland, Lebanon.
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Common ground
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| November 29, 2013 12:31 AM |
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Approaching the third anniversary of the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, with over 100,000 dead, 3 million refugees and untold levels of destruction, Turkey and Iran – each backing different sides in the conflict – joined Wednesday in calling for a cease-fire as soon as possible.
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Muzzled media
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| November 28, 2013 12:19 AM |
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In the process of attempting to uncover corruption within the Customs authorities, four journalists with Al-Jadeed were detained and beaten Tuesday in a case which the judiciary says it is now investigating.
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Ditching duties
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| November 27, 2013 12:09 AM |
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Barack Obama might have recently weathered the political storm over the government shutdown in the United States, but his administration faces a number of serious challenges on the domestic front.
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Signs of change
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| November 26, 2013 12:20 AM |
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The world’s attention has been focused recently on the weekend’s dramatic events in Geneva, when a first-stage agreement on Iran’s nuclear program was reached between Tehran and leading members of the international community.
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New leaf but ...
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| November 25, 2013 12:35 AM |
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This weekend’s breakthrough in negotiations between Iran and leading world powers over Tehran’s nuclear program will likely be in the news over the coming days and weeks, but one should be cautious in talking about a significant “achievement.”
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Farcical freedom
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| November 22, 2013 12:05 AM |
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On the 70th anniversary of Lebanon’s “independence,” it may do well to consider what this word actually means, and whether the country really deserves such a label.
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