For months now, ISIS has sold oil on the international market through Turkey, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is furious with petroleum prices plunging along with Russia’s economy. Consider that context as we consider the following. On November 24, Turkish … Continue reading
Tag Archives: ISIS
Strategy 101: A primer for President Obama
In August 1961, while the Soviets erected the Berlin Wall to plunge the Cold War into the deep freeze, President John F. Kennedyordered the Joint Chiefs of Staff to devise a nuclear-first strike plan. The Strategic Air Command responded with a … Continue reading
Dealing with barbarism: V-J Day and beyond
On September 2, 1945, V-J Day, the funeral-like solemnity of the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri was shattered by the thunder of 400 B-29 bombers flying overhead, accompanied by an additional 1,500 carrier aircraft. In a bay packed with … Continue reading
The Strategic Imperative of ISIS: Deal with it Now or Die by it Later
During the 2012 presidential campaign President Obama repeatedly boasted, “Osama bin Laden is dead and Al-Qaeda is on the run.” He is right on both counts: bin Laden is gone and Al-Qaeda runs stronger than ever. The latest Al-Qaeda iteration, … Continue reading
Airstrikes, Sure; but What About a Strategy in Iraq?
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The New York Times. It has been a tragically spectacular year for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has taken control of numerous towns in Iraq and Syria, seized energy … Continue reading