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UN Indicts Hezbollah

The indictment for the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri was handed down June 30, but only published today. The tribunal delivered indictments on June 30 against four men that Hezbollah has acknowledged as members of the organization. Nearly no one here expected the …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday August 17, 2011

The UN Statehood Vote's Real Downside

Israel's worried about the UN vote on Palestinian statehood. But the real danger could be acceptance of the "right of return" and a whitewashing of Hamas' crimes. A specter is haunting Israel. As the Palestinian Authority is threatening to declare statehood in September with UN recognition, …

Written by Emmanuel Navon on Tuesday May 3, 2011

On the Frontline With Ivory Coast's Rebels

Ivory Coast's civil war hit the headlines this week. The conflict actually began over a decade ago as a military pay mutiny. I know because I was there. The West African state of Cote d’Ivoire was in the news cycle this past week, where a six month power struggle culminated with French and UN …

Written by Sean Linnane on Sunday April 17, 2011

UN Turns a Blind Eye to Syria

As the Assad regime ramps up their campaign of repression, the UN Human Rights Council has stayed silent and focused instead on their favorite punching bag: Israel. As Syria verges on eruption, with riots and widespread killings across the state, the Syrian propaganda machine goes into full …

Written by Arsen Ostrovsky on Saturday March 26, 2011

America Takes the Backseat

For one of the few times since WWII, the U.S. isn't taking the lead in a necessary military action. But having the U.S. play a supporting role may be good for the West. The essential significance of the 22-nation attack on Libya is not that it’ll get rid of Muammar Qaddafi, but that it marks a …

Written by Peter Worthington on Monday March 21, 2011

War by Committee

The enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya is being described as America's "third war". But with no clear objective it's more like a glorified international police action. "War is diplomacy by other means." - Clausewitz "You are a professional, but the world is full of dangerous amateurs." …

Written by Sean Linnane on Sunday March 20, 2011

Follower-in-Chief

In his desire not to repeat our open-ended commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama's just pledged the U.S. to an open-ended fight in Libya. It’s not just generals who fight the last war. President Obama’s speech about Libya on Friday afternoon served notice: he is still fighting against the …

Written by David Frum on Friday March 18, 2011

Should the West Ignore Qaddafi's Ceasefire?

UPDATED: It's a pity the UN didn’t show resolve weeks ago when Qaddafi was vulnerable. Now he's declared a ceasefire. Is it too late for regime change? Does the UN know what it’s doing? It makes little sense for the UN Security Council to have waited until Muammar Qaddafi had rebounded to …

Written by Peter Worthington on Friday March 18, 2011

Enforcing the No-Fly Zone

In a normal time, imposing a no-fly zone upon a country like Libya would be an easy exercise of US power. But three wars is a lot even for America. Obama moves on Libya. Probably not the last move either. Here's where the anti-interventionists have a point: in a normal time, imposing a no-fly zone …

Written by David Frum on Thursday March 17, 2011

Judgment Day for Qaddafi's Rights Record

Until the Libyan rebellion began, the world had no trouble shaking Qaddafi's hand and tolerating, if not condoning, his homicidal eccentricities. On Sunday, the Toronto Star ran a headline “Human Rights Council burnished Libya’s image.” Wrong, wrong, wrong. A more accurate headline …

Written by Peter Worthington on Monday February 28, 2011

Honduran "Coup": Blame Zelaya, Not Congress

Currently, deposed Honduran president Manuel Zelaya is holed up in Tegucigalpa after a harrowing overland escape into his own country. He is attempting to stir up anti-democratic populism to overthrow the current government. Yet, the United States still won’t budge from it's stance that his …

Written by Tyler Montgomery on Thursday September 24, 2009

Me, Me, Me, Me, Me

Increasingly, Barack Obama's speaking style inspires a reaction borrowed from the narrator of the Raymond Chandler novel, The Long Goodbye : "You talk too damn much, and too damn much of it is about you." Of the first seven sentences Obama delivered to the United Nations General Assembly on …

Written by David Frum on Thursday September 24, 2009

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