Tag: Iran

Stevenson’s army, February 1

Americans trust nurses the most, members of Congress the least.

– John Bolton doesn’t trust Donald Trump

Ukraine can trust EU, given aid deal

– Shippers can’t trust freedom of the seas

– Retired 2 star says US learned wrong lessons from recent wars

– Paul Pillar says US is repeating mistakes about Iran

-Journalist interviews Houthis

– Reuters says US uses exercises to prepare for defense of Taiwan

-Politico has story about Sullivan China speech

– Axios lists likely Trump advisers on China

– HFAC considers changes in arms sales rules

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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Stevenson’s army, January 29

– WSJ says the  drone attack at Tower 22 succeeded because it was confused with a returning US drone.

– NYT reports on possible retaliatory options.

– Politico sees GOP split.

Eliot Cohen says go to war with Iran. [FYI, I strongly disagree]

Best list I’ve seen is from MEI’s Lister, as in the ever-valuable D Brief:

What are some options for a U.S. response that are not inside Iran? One target might include the “general cargo” (and likely surveillance) ship Behshad, which has been hanging around the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden during virtually every Houthi naval attack off the Yemeni coast. 

MEI’s Lister had four suggestions: 

  • The “Glasshouse” at the airport in Damascus; 
  • The Imam Ali Base in eastern Syria, which features “hardened missile tunnels,” according to Lister; 
  • The Dimas Airbase, which is a “major drone facility” west of Damascus; 
  • And the Mayadin special forces training camp in eastern Syria.

– Keep an eye on Ecuador — will be part of week 4 exercise. FT today. 

– CFR’s Steve Biddle analyzes Russia’s defensive strategy

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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Stevenson’s army, September 26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3cPAueZ-4M
Quick and clear, including the Israeli judge.

Here is the text.

– Peter Baker sees a divided America. Note this point:

In an increasingly tribal society, Americans describe their differences more personally. Since Mr. Trump’s election in 2016, according to the Pew Research Center, the share of Democrats who see Republicans as immoral has grown from 35 percent to 63 percent while 72 percent of Republicans say the same about Democrats, up from 47 percent. In 1960, about 4 percent of Americans said they would be displeased if their child married someone from the other party. By 2020, that had grown to nearly four in 10. Indeed, only about 4 percent of all marriages today are between a Republican and a Democrat.

WSJ says US warned Iran in advance of suicide bombers.

– WSJ says US will meet with China about Red Sea– Vox sees more war going on.- Analyst says Iraq is falling apart

– FP questions Biden’s Venezuela policy

– FP reports European reactions to Trump

-WaPo says US foreign military training has inconsistencies

– Europe has different models of conscription

– Think tank reports on Chinese FDI in Latin America

– Experts see North Korea readying for military action 

Josh Rogin agrees

ICJ first decision

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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Stevenson’s army, January 23

-Politico reports attacks on Houthis.

-Defense Priorities analyzes the options.

– Fred Kaplan  is encouraged by emerging Gaza peace plan.

– RollCall sees Palestinian aid as an issue.

-Semafor says Israel want 2km no man’s land in Gaza

– Iran hawks Gerecht and Takeyh say Iran doesn’t want a war

– NYT worries about tipping point in Mideast conflicts

– FP’s Steve Walt says in terms of foreign policy, it doesn’t matter whether Trump or Biden wins

– New reports on Trump on Ukraine and Trump on Taiwan [from Politico’s China Watcher:

TRUMP WON’T COMMIT TO TAIWAN’S DEFENSE: The likely Republican candidate in the November U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump, refused to commit to a U.S. defense of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion attempt.

Publicly declaring his position on Taiwan’s defense would put him in “very bad negotiating position” with Beijing, Trump said in a Fox News interview on Sunday.  Trump laced those comments with complaints about the self-governing island’s dominance of the global semiconductor supply chain. “Taiwan did take all of our chip business … they took our business away. We should have stopped them. We should have taxed them. We should have tariffed them,” Trump said.

Lawfare summarizes new cyber laws.

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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Stevenson’s army, January 21

OK, so you don’t have to wait for the broadsheets. Here are some stories, already online, that will be on front pages tomorrow.

– US is working with Arab governments on a master plan to end the Gaza war, as both Axios and WSJ report.

– WSJ also reports that US intelligence says Israel has destroyed only 20-30% of Hamas forces.

-WaPo says US plans long campaign against Houthis.

– Politico says Houthis expect new weapons from Iran.

– NYT reports growing doubts about US in Taiwan.

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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Stevenson’s army, January 19

There’s other news, but I want to draw your attention to an excellent piece in NYT on what Congress knew about the Manhattan Project to build atomic weapons. It’s detailed, accurate, and includes links to several important documents. Sadly, I don’t see it anywhere on the NYT website, but I knew it existed because I saw it in the printed paper.

Reporter Catie Edmondson shows that at least 7 members of Congress knew key details, including the $800 million initial funding, because Secretary of War Stimson had briefed them. Speaker Sam Rayburn told others “trust me,” and they did. Edmondson doesn’t mention that wartime appropriations bills were lump sum measures, with very few line items, so most details of  military spending were known only to a few members. I see this as proof that there was knowledge and accountability, despite the necessary secrecy.

[Be sure to read the Rayburn interview with Forrest Pogue, which has several stories about how Rayburn operated.]

– FP has more details about the Houthi terrorist designation.

– FT says Arab nations have a plan to recognize Israel in return for a Palestinian state

– WSJ assesses Iran’s military capabilities.

– Semafor says some of Speaker Johnson’s problems come because he “talks like a lawyer”

– Lawfare ponders sources of JCS Chairman’s power

– DIA released report on Iranian UAVs in Ukraine

– It now looks as if Speaker Johnson, talking with Trump, wants to prevent a border security bill [so the GOP has the issue] and avoid any votes on Ukraine [where GOP is divided] Unclear how many GOP Senators agree with that strategy.

My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here, with occasional videos of my choice. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).

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