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In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

Critical appraisals of foreign affairs and politics from a global-citizen perspective

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Tag: Iran

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Post #222: Road to Ruin: Trump’s Middle East Retreat

22 Dec 201822 Dec 2018
The flight of the generals is now complete with the resignation of General James Mattis—the last of the four generals to depart, and the last to give up the naïve…
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Post #221: Weaponizing Humanitarian Aid

13 Dec 201813 Dec 2018
Long ago, US foreign aid programs honored the principle that humanitarian aid should be treated separately from economic and military assistance to governments. Public Law 480 (popularized as “Food for…
BLOG

Post #216: A Victory for Diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula

29 Sep 20182 Oct 2018
On September 18 leaders of North and South Korea signed a September Declaration to advance inter-Korean cooperation and the possibility of the North’s denuclearization. Critics immediately dismissed the agreement for…
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Post #215: On Dealing with China

18 Sep 201826 Sep 2018
(Note: A slightly different version of this article has been published as "The China Conundrum" at https://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/the-china-conundrum.) A Self-Confident China Ever since China’s economic reforms began in 1978, the goal…
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Post #210: At Home and Abroad, Trump Abandons Human Rights (Part 1)

7 Jul 20187 Jul 2018
In January 1941, with the prospect looming of US involvement in another European war, President Franklin Roosevelt spoke of America’s purpose in the world: to protect and promote “four freedoms.”…
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Post #136: The Trump Team: Loyal and Dangerous

15 Nov 201627 Feb 2017
Personnel appointments provide a useful glimpse into what policy will be.  Senior-level appointees are the policy shapers, and from what we have seen thus far, we are right to have…
American Politics and the World…

Post #135: Our Worst Nightmare Has Come to Pass

9 Nov 201627 Feb 2017
The American people voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by nearly 800,000 votes.*  But Trump was right: the system is rigged, meaning that thanks to our outdated and illogical…
American Politics and the World…

Post #118: Cowgirl Diplomacy? Foreign Policy Under Hillary Clinton

24 May 201627 Feb 2017
America’s mainstream media, ever attracted to the splashy rather than the serious, has a new topic to occupy the time until Election Day: President Trump.  What will he do first? …
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Post #105: Time for a Reset in US-Saudi Relations

27 Jan 201627 Feb 2017
  The growing rift between Saudi Arabia and Iran is reportedly causing great consternation in US policymaking circles (www.nytimes.com/2016/01/05/us/politics/us-struggles-to-explain-alliance-with-saudis.html).  Once again, US officials are called upon to decide whether to…
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Post #104 –Engaging and Apologizing: Two Exercises, Different Results

18 Jan 201627 Feb 2017
The art and wisdom of engaging and apologizing to adversaries was on display in recent days in two very different settings, one in East Asia and the other in the…
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Post #84: The Engagement Critics

15 Jul 201527 Feb 2017
One of the predictable outcomes of any US effort to reset relations with an adversary is that allies start whining about their vulnerability and demanding some sort of compensation for…
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Post #83: Saving the Iran Nuclear Deal

7 Jul 201527 Feb 2017
A US-Iran agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and US sanctions appears to be slowly nearing completion.  President Obama wants to add to his legacy of engaging adversaries with an agreement…
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Post #78: The Middle East Quagmire: Give Peacemaking a Chance

23 May 201527 Feb 2017
The desperate state of US policy in the Middle East became apparent once again with the ISIS rout of the Iraqi army at Ramadi. It was another setback for US-supported…
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Post #73 – The Iran Framework: A Case Study in Engagement

8 Apr 201527 Feb 2017
We have every reason to celebrate the so-called framework agreement with Iran.  It exemplifies the best of President Obama’s foreign policy, namely, engaging adversaries.  Remember when candidate Obama’s argument for…
BLOG…

Post #70 – When It Comes to Foreign Policy, Obama Has the Upper Hand

13 Mar 201527 Feb 2017
The President and quite a few members of Congress are at a standoff over two important issues of foreign-policy process.  Many in Congress, from both parties, dislike his proposal for…

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