IRAN 2015 – are 1914 and 1964 calling?

The March 31st negotiating deadline with Iran over limiting its nuclear programs is upon us. Even if a further extension follows which is likely, suppose at some future point, these negotiations ultimately fail. What options are left? Eerily, chilling parallels with 1914 and 1964 arise. A century ago, the world “sleep walked to war.” The assassinations of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife Sophie lit the fuse for World War I and sowed the seeds for future conflicts.  In August 1964, President Lyndon Johnson used the pretext of a non-existent second set of attacks by North Vietnamese PT boats against two U.S. Navy destroyers to rally a nearly unanimous [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:27:53+02:002 aprilie 2015|America, Analize si studii, Apărare / Securitate Naţională, Blog, Energie/Mediu, Harlan Ullman, Orientul Mijlociu, Pace & Securitate, Regiuni, Subiecte|0 Comentarii
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Winston Spencer Ghani

Last month when Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu made his ill-advised plea to Congress to scuttle the nuclear negotiations with Iran, fringe Republican elements in Congress, along with right wing fellow travelers, called Bibi the 21st century’s version of  Winston Churchill.  Clearly they must have been referring to Churchill’s flip-flops to and from the Conservative Party as Netanyahu would do vis a vis opposing the two state solution.  Possibly they may have been referring to Churchill’s tenure as First Lord of the Admiralty and the disastrous Gallipoli assault he initiated in 1915 or his five years as Chancellor of the Exchequer after World War I and the monumental economic blunder [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:27:53+02:002 aprilie 2015|America, Analize si studii, Blog, Democratie & Drepturile Omului, Harlan Ullman, Regiuni, Subiecte|0 Comentarii
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The U.S. government – bad joke or just bad?

In this corner, wearing black trunks and weighing in at 175 pounds is the president of the United States. In that corner, weighing collectively 101,101 pounds and wearing even darker trunks are the 535 members of the U.S. Congress. When the bell rings, please do something. That six-year fight has had only one result so far---broken government. But this state of failed government did not happen over night or even in six days. The current disintegration of government is akin to a disease that took years to metastasize. The potentially fatal flaws lay in the Constitution and divided government based on separation of powers in which not one word is [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:27:53+02:0026 martie 2015|America, Analize si studii, Blog, Harlan Ullman, Regiuni|0 Comentarii
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Carter’s Dilemma – New Secretary Must Balance Force Size, Cost

When Ashton Carter takes the oath of office as the US secretary of defense, he will be caught on the horns of an excruciating dilemma. If unresolved, the long-term consequence will be a 21st century replay of the “hollow force” that arose after the Vietnam War ended. That force was unready and largely incapable of carrying out all its duties to defend the nation.   The first and very visible horn of this dilemma is White House guidance. One of many reasons why Carter was chosen for the post is that he is highly experienced, hence a “safe pair of hands” who is unlikely to do “stupid stuff.”   One [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:27:57+02:0031 ianuarie 2015|America, Analize si studii, Apărare / Securitate Naţională, Blog, Harlan Ullman, Regiuni, Subiecte|0 Comentarii
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Countering domestic terrorism

Normally, when Washington-based policy institutions issue major reports, unless the study reflects strongly held ideological preferences of its constituents or is a stunning condemnation of whichever administration is in power, the half-life is at best a day or two.  Last week, Business Executives for National Security (BENS---and I am on the advisory board but did not participate in this study) issued its findings on countering domestic terrorism.  This report is a must read for the White House, state houses, mayors’ offices and the public.   This report is a critical follow-on to the Commission on September 11th co-chaired by former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean and Representative Lee Hamilton who [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:27:57+02:0031 ianuarie 2015|America, Analize si studii, Blog, Economie, Harlan Ullman, Regiuni, Subiecte|0 Comentarii
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