Clifford D. May

Biden blew a chance for a win in his meeting with Putin

Time and again, we fail to understand Russia and its rulers. Back in 1939, Churchill acknowledged that, famously describing Russia as "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Published June 22, 2021

Iran’s nuclear secrets have been exposed

The story begins on a cold night in January 2018 when Israeli agents stealthily broke into a warehouse in southern Tehran where Iran's rulers had stored an archive of their nuclear weapons program. Published June 15, 2021

Leaving Afghanistan

After Sept. 11, 2001, most Americans thought justice and prudence demanded sending troops to Afghanistan to oust the Taliban and extirpate its ally, al Qaeda, the organization that had carried out the most horrific terrorist attacks ever on U.S. soil. Published June 8, 2021

Enemies fighting Israel on other battlefields

For the moment, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have stopped shooting rockets at Israelis and, in response, Israelis have stopped targeting weapons arsenals in Gaza. Published June 1, 2021

For Israelis, one more battle in a forever war for survival

In the 1930s, the Nazis declared: "The Jews do not deserve to live!" They acted on this conviction, and by the mid-1940s six million Jews had been murdered. Published May 25, 2021

The Islamic Republic’s war on Israel

Iran's rulers fund, arm and instruct Hamas, which rules Gaza, and has fired more than 3,000 rockets at Israeli cities and villages over recent days. Published May 18, 2021

Hezbollah and its masters in Tehran bring darkness to Lebanon

Paris is known as the City of Light, and Beirut used to be known as the Paris of the Middle East. So, there is irony as well as tragedy in the likelihood that Beirut will soon be plunged into darkness. Published May 11, 2021

Human Rights Watch crosses the line with latest attack on Israel

Anti-Semitism may be the world's oldest hatred but it's still a long way from death's door. Published May 4, 2021

Idriss Deby: The death of an African warrior

We worry about the Middle East. We pivot toward Asia. As for Latin America, we at least pay attention to Venezuela, Cuba and the countries from which emigrants are streaming north. Published April 27, 2021

U.S. chooses defeat in Afghanistan

If the Taliban were not teetotalers, they'd be shopping for champagne about now in response to President Biden's decision to unconditionally withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. Published April 20, 2021

Biden’s bad foreign policy deals

President Obama gave without getting, and then postured as though he'd achieved spectacular victories. President Biden is now doing likewise. Published April 13, 2021

The brave few on the front line for freedom deserve America’s support

In this already stormy century, freedom has many powerful enemies, and few powerful defenders. Published April 6, 2021

China’s rulers have a new and unimproved version of rules-based order

China's Communist rulers are making clear that they intend to wrest the torch of global leadership from America's hands. Published March 30, 2021

Why Assad crossed Obama’s red line

"Ayman" was a skilled Syrian scientist producing chemical weapons at Institute 3000, a facility within the deceptively named Scientific Studies and Research Center near Damascus. Published March 23, 2021

President Macron deserves credit for trying to unite France

What holds a nation together? In some cases, it's blood, soil and language (think Japan). In some cases, it's a police state (think Iran). Published March 2, 2021

Biden must deter and not appease Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, and Pyongyang

We all disapprove of appeasement, right? The term evokes Munich, where British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain made concessions to Adolf Hitler in the hope that would sate, rather than whet, the fuhrer's appetite for conquest. Published February 23, 2021