David Ignatius's Blog, page 118

The emerging threat of the lone wolf in the fight against terror

“He acknowledged the truth, he gives [allegiance], the order has been given, his heart beats, he accepts, butterflies kick in. . . . The target is given, the anticipation is over, a sense of relief.” With this stream-of-consciousness narrative, an Islamic State fighter using the name of Abu Abdullah Britani posted this call May 10 on Twitter to would-be jihadists in the West. Don’t second-guess yourself, he cautioned, in messages translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. “Thoughts going through your head, how many will be killed, how will they react, but you snap out. . . .”Read full article >>

Let Greece leave the eurozone

The Greek financial crisis has eased — for now. But many skeptics share the worry of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble that the bailout plan may not work, and that the only way to restore competitiveness and growth is a Greek exit from the euro. Read full article >>

After the nuclear deal, how to contain Iran’s meddling in the Middle East

The shrill Republican attacks on the Iran nuclear deal are an embarrassment. Most global leaders share President Obama’s view that the agreement is preferable to any realistic alternative. It’s a diplomatic achievement that reinforces rather than undermines U.S. leadership. The damage to the United States would come from knee-jerk congressional rejection of the pact.Read full article >>

After a well-crafted deal, the question is: Will Iran behave?

As the Iran nuclear talks neared the endgame, some observers worried that President Obama and Secretary of State John F. Kerry, in their eagerness for a deal, would give away the store with last-minute concessions. Read full article >>

What the Greek debt deal shows about power in Europe

When the financial details are stripped away, the Greek bailout deal reached early Monday morning is really a reassertion of the core idea of post-war Europe — which is that France and Germany will stick together.Read full article >>

How Prince Saud al-Faisal artfully shaped the complex U.S.-Saudi relationship

It was a measure of Prince Saud al-Faisal’s skill as a diplomat that he helped sustain the long friendship between the United States and Saudi Arabia through events that could have (maybe should have) shattered it—an oil embargo, several Arab-Israeli wars, the rise of Al Qaeda, the failed U.S. occupation of Iraq, and the menace of Iran.Read full article >>

What the Islamic State shows us about human nature and torture

Reporting about the Islamic State inevitably means watching its videos, but that’s not something I would wish on anyone. The group has created a public theater of death on the Internet — beheading people, drowning them, burning them, breaking their bones. Read full article >>

Greece is trapped by the euro

The Greek financial nightmare is a reminder of why countries benefit from having their own currencies. In the old days, a flexible drachma could have been devalued to boost exports and economic growth. But today’s euro trades at a single exchange rate that may suit some of its member nations but not others. For Greece, it has become the equivalent of a straitjacket. Read full article >>

Greece’s crisis could be good for Europe

Many commentators have seen the Greek financial crisis as an exercise in stupidity. Former treasury secretary Larry Summers, for example, likened it last month to World War I, about which historians “still, a century later, are incredulous that it happened.” Read full article >>

Resisting the gay marriage ruling would be a losing battle for the GOP

After the Supreme Court’s historic 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, Southern politicians adopted a strategy that became known as “massive resistance.” It doomed the South to a losing battle against not just the court but also a majority of Americans. Read full article >>