Really the only way to guarantee a ceasefire is to wait until your enemy runs out of bullets. So it’s baffling what the nutcake negotiators from Israel and Hamas are trying to achieve with these “temporary” ceasefire proposals. The latest scoop from Israel’s Haaretz newspaper: “Hamas’ Gaza spokesman Ayman Taha, meanwhile, has said recently that [...]

They say that they’ve achieved their goals, but with nearly 1,200 Palestinians dead and the cease fire not actually involving Hamas, I can’t help but think that this is a tenuous peace at best. From BBC: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel had achieved its goals and Hamas – which has been firing rockets at [...]

“Terrorism is a deadly tactic, not an institution or an ideology.” – British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on the limits of the phrase “War on Terror” Here’s more… The foreign secretary wrote that since 9/11 the phrase “war on terror” had “defined the terrain” when it came to tackling terrorism and that although it had [...]

But it will happen. Obama said as much on This Week today: “I think it’s going to take some time and our legal teams are working in consultation with our national security apparatus as we speak to help design exactly what we need to do,” Obama said in an exclusive “This Week” interview with George [...]

I’ve been pretty harsh on philosophical neo-conservatism over the last year or so. In fact, it’s safe to say that of all the various (actual) political philosophies that form a significant portion of our governing political coalitions, I have consistently held neo-conservatism in by far the most contempt. And without a doubt, the basic tenets [...]

“Israel has a special place in each of our hearts. But we recognize that neither Israelis nor Palestinians have a monopoly on right or wrong. While there is nothing “right” in raining rockets on Israeli families or dispatching suicide bombers, there is nothing “right” in punishing a million and a half already-suffering Gazans for the [...]

“One of the mythologies is that it was the vice president that somehow was pulling the strings on foreign policy in the first term and made it very ideologically driven and that somehow in the second term, the vice president’s influence is in decline and, therefore, somehow the real Bush has come forward, and we [...]

For the second time since the Barack Obama won the U.S. Presidential election, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued a none-too-subtle threat aimed at his soon-to-be American counterpart. Medvedev — who is starting to make his patron, the former KGB apparatchik, Vladimir Putin, look soft — warned that Russia was prepared to use force to secure [...]

Ambinder is talking to the Obama team, and they don’t think the economy is going to get better any time soon… It’s quite unsettling to talk to members of Barack Obama’s transition teams these days, especially those who are helping with the economics portfolio. Without going into details, the sense I get from them is [...]

Why? Because it’s still a mess… BAGHDAD – For the past two weeks I’ve been embedded with the United States Army in Baghdad, and I find myself unable to figure out what to make of this place. Baghdad, despite the remarkable success of the surge, is as mind-bogglingly run-down and dysfunctional as ever, even compared [...]

Just in case you didn’t catch it earlier… And the team speaks… I like all the picks, including Jones and Gates. Obama has to make sure the military understand that he’s a friend, and those two picks will do much to send that message. The only problem? I think Obama will run into some controversy [...]

10:40 a.m. ET to be exact. We all know the names by now. Gen. Jim Jones for National Security Adviser. Robert Gates for Defense Secretary. And Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. CNN has the other names… Also, two sources close to the transition said Obama will nominate Susan Rice as United Nations ambassador, Arizona [...]

Keep in mind that the following is coming from a critic of the Georgian administration, but he was an insider and he also went before his own government to give his assessment of the situation. From BBC: Erosi Kitsmarishvili, a former envoy to Russia, was testifying at a parliamentary commission hearing into the war the [...]

Nicholas Kristof shares his findings from the troubled country, and it’s not pretty. In short, Obama better keep his eye on this nuclear power…or else. After watching this I can’t help but think that, regardless of what this panel says, the incoming administration realizes the unique position Pakistan has on the world stage. After all, [...]

Writing for The Atlantic, Robert D. Kaplan thinks Barack Obama has made a good decision by choosing political rival Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State. But Kaplan foresees success for Obama not just because of the team he’s assembled but because international conditions are favorable for success: [T]he real reason that Obama and Clinton [...]

According to current reports, this could be Barack Obama’s national security/foreign affairs team: Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton Secretary of Defense: Robert Gates Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano National Security Advisor: Gen. Jim Jones, a retired 4-star Marine Corps general who actually supported John McCain but is considered pragmatic and very [...]

It’s supposedly a done deal, so now the press can stop chattering about the Clintons being duplicitous and just accept the fact that Obama is genuinely forming a team of rivals. From NY Times: Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his [...]

Some on the following Hardball panel think it’s “crazy” and say she’s looking to 2012. But what exactly will she be doing in 2012? Not running for President? In any event… I think Hillary should take this spot for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is this seems to be a good [...]

The will-she-or-won’t-she questions surrounding Hillary Clinton and the State Department took yet another turn this morning. Seems like Bill Clinton is willing to make some concessions to help his wife land the job: Clinton has agreed to release the names of several major donors to his charitable foundation and will submit future foundation activities and [...]

The air-tight campaign of Barack Obama has turned into the leak-a-minute transition of president-Elect Obama. Floating names is obviously important but, if things don’t work out, it can make Obama’s team look sloppy. Is that what’s about to happen with the whole Hillary Clinton at State scenario? Apparently, she may not be interested. Hillary Rodham [...]