Allysia Finley's column this week says out loud what much of the pro-Israel right keeps muttering under its breath: that Donald Trump and JD Vance have drifted onto ground the anti-Israel left has occupied for years, and that the vice president is the one steering. Her framing is sharp, but it stops short of the harder conclusion. This is not a foreign-policy disagreement. It … [Read more...] about JD Vance and the Grifter Generation: No Allies, No Principles, Only Power
Opinion
Trump’s Iran Deal: The U-Turn From Unconditional Surrender to All Carrots, No Stick
The war began in late February with a demand for unconditional surrender. It ends, four months later, with the President of the United States defending Iran's right to keep its missiles. Everything between those two sentences is the story of how a war of choice collapsed into a payment for the privilege of returning to the day before it started. Trump entered the conflict … [Read more...] about Trump’s Iran Deal: The U-Turn From Unconditional Surrender to All Carrots, No Stick
Trump’s Iranian Deal Delusion Syndrome: Why the Regime Cannot Change Without Force From Outside and Within
There is a recurring affliction in American foreign policy, and President Trump has caught the most acute case on record. Call it Iranian Deal Delusion Syndrome: the unshakable conviction that the Islamic Republic — a regime constitutionally built on hostility to America — can be negotiated into permanent good behavior. Carter had it. Obama had it badly. Trump, who built his … [Read more...] about Trump’s Iranian Deal Delusion Syndrome: Why the Regime Cannot Change Without Force From Outside and Within
The Deal That Won’t Hold — And Why That May Be Correct
The ceasefire negotiation with Iran is built on a category error: the assumption that the Islamic Republic is a rational actor seeking to survive. The regime's own statements argue otherwise. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing a knowledgeable source, reported Sunday that Tehran is "not optimistic" about a deal with Washington and that no final understanding has … [Read more...] about The Deal That Won’t Hold — And Why That May Be Correct
Washington’s Iran Capitulation Will Cost More Than the Deal Is Worth
The framework taking shape between Washington and Tehran is not a diplomatic achievement. It is a document that legitimizes an Iranian nuclear program, rewards three years of accelerated enrichment, and asks nothing serious in return. The comparison to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is flattering to the current effort. The JCPOA, whatever its structural weaknesses, … [Read more...] about Washington’s Iran Capitulation Will Cost More Than the Deal Is Worth