Shoshana Bryen

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — A movement is afoot on Capitol Hill to “force” President Obama to submit any agreement between the United States and Iran to lawmakers, even if it isn’t a treaty that requires ratification. The administration, not surprisingly, says there is no reason to do so.  It is also not terribly

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the run up to November’s P5+1 talks, Iran has already won the battles that count; remember, this is the bazaar. After last year’s unsatisfactory interim agreement, this author wrote: A deal that is not a capitulation requires two conditions: the parties must equally value the process; and there

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — For the moment and against the odds, Kobani stands. Kurdish men and women, abandoned by the United States and watched but not aided by Turkey, hold the line against the sweep of ISIS across Iraq and Syria; one little point of heroism that may be gone by the time

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. –Pentagon spokesman Adm. John Kirby told reporters he understood that U.S. air power wouldn’t save Kobani, but that there is a “larger strategy” in place.  The primary goal of the campaign is not to save Syrian cities and towns, U.S. Central Command officials said, but to go after ISIS senior

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thirteen years ago this October, we started bombing Muslims in the Middle East. We’re still bombing them. Does any sane person think that 13 years from now, we’re not going to still be bombing them?” Democratic operative James Carville answered his own question. “Of course we will. And… maybe

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of State Kerry is in the Middle East, looking for regional allies for President Obama’s proposal to deal with the threat of the Islamic State (IS). That is entirely appropriate — IS poses a more immediate and dire threat to regional players than it does to the United

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Israeli public is in a notably bad mood. The Hamas rockets have, for the time being, stopped; the current cease-fire is holding. The tunnel threat, a strategic one most Israelis had not understood until several days into the war, has been alleviated; many Hamas rocket manufacturing facilities have been

  By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — There is a reason the American military asks of its civilian commanders, “Don’t tell us what to do, tell us what you want done.” Giving the military an executable military mission to accomplish is the most important responsibility of civilian command. A strategic plan helps the military respond

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — Google “president disengaged” and 1,290,000 entries pop up. Okay, fair enough. Google is not the best way to take the measure of President Obama’s active engagement in the workings of the world. So note that today, Friday, Aug. 15,  is the funeral of Maj. Gen. Harold Greene,

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Hamas resumed rocketing Israel on Friday, August 8, one surety was that Israel’s office of “Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (West Bank and Gaza Strip)” [COGAT] would continue operating as it has through gruesome acts of terror against Jews, “intifadas,” rocket attacks and kidnappings through tunnels.