GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian militants bombarded Israel with dozens of rockets and mortar shells Monday while Israeli warplanes struck targets throughout the Gaza Strip in what appeared to be the most intense exchange of fire since the 2014 war. Palestinian officials said at least three people, including two...
How Wilson’s Call to War Pulled America Onto a Global Stage
On April 2, 1917 President Woodrow Wilson addressed a joint session of Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany. It was a somewhat surprising turn of events. Earlier in his presidency, Wilson coined the phrase “America First,” and his supporters proudly waved banners at the 1916 Democratic National...
After Gaza Strikes, Israel Threatens Iranian Forces in Syria
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian militants ceased rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel and relative calm prevailed Saturday afternoon after a night-long exchange of fire that prompted Israeli threats against Iranian forces in Syria. The Islamic Jihad group, a militant faction operating in the Hamas-ruled Gaza but that has...
Our Wars Are Hidden Now, But the Costs Are Still Staggering
Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden are long dead. The Iraq War officially ended in 2011. But the Afghanistan War grinds on, 17 years and counting with no resolution in sight. It was on Oct. 7, 2001, that President George W. Bush — backed by Congress — ordered U.S. troops...
The Syrian War as Told Through the Photographer's Eyes
Seven years ago, during the Arab spring, the people of Syria peacefully protested the government of President Bashar al-Assad and asked for democratic reforms. Assad responded to the protests with violence, triggering a brutal civil war that continues today. The Washington Post published June 29 an emotionally moving photographic essay,...
Point-Counterpoint: Iran's Participation in Syrian War
Point: Iran's Real Enemy in Syria “What kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women, and children?” President Trump asked Russia and Iran after launching air strikes against the Syrian regime. “The nations of the world can be judged by the friends...
Gaza's Hamas Rulers Say Cease-Fire Reached With Israel
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza's Hamas rulers said Wednesday they had agreed to a cease-fire with Israel to end the largest flare-up of violence between the two sides since a 2014 war. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, said Egyptian mediators intervened "after the resistance succeeded in warding off...
If Bolton Starts a War With Iran, It Will Be Much Worse Than Iraq
With John Bolton joining the White House as President Donald Trump’s new national security adviser, risk of the U.S. going to war with Iran has increased to levels not seen since Dick Cheney was vice president. Bolton and Cheney were both architects of the Iraq war, a war that Bolton...
Who Exactly is John Bolton? And What Does He Want?
President Donald Trump’s announcement March 22 that John Bolton would become the new national security adviser took the policy world – and Bolton – by surprise. Bolton’s hawkish views are well known. During his run as a Fox News commentator, he advocated for preemptively bombing North Korea and at other...
Immigration Done Right? It Brings Peace & Prosperity
For the last several years, the United States has been gripped in a sharp debate over the flow of immigrants into our country. It is easy to get demoralized about the inability to reach a consensus, but understanding the complexity of the challenge could help us appreciate what stands in...