David Ignatius's Blog, page 126

The loss of Rep. Mike Rogers as head of the House Intelligence Committee is a blow to bipartisanship

The House intelligence committee, a rare island of bipartisanship in recent years, may soon become a more confrontational arena with the retirement of its chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers.

Rogers (R-Mich.) is scheduled to be replaced by Rep. Devin Nunes, a conservative California Republican whose critical comments about Benghazi made him a favorite with Fox News. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced the Nunes appointment two weeks ago in what appeared to be a concession to right-wing Republicans who want a more adversarial role for this key committee.

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Paranoia could be the best weapon against the Islamic State

The worm of paranoia begins to eat into even the hardest adversary. An example is a Twitter post last week displaying an Islamic State leaflet offering a $5,000 reward for information about “crusaders’ agents” in the ranks.

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Iraqi official seeks support in Mosul’s fight against the Islamic State

The Obama administration’s slow campaign against the Islamic State takes a small step forward this week, as a leading Sunni politician visits Washington to urge support for a 10,000-member “national guard” force that could gradually help regain control of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

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The case for national service

At Thanksgiving, Americans think about the spirit of community that animates the country at its best. But in a year characterized by so much political and racial discord, you have to wonder whether the communal quilt is fraying at the edges.

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David Ignatius: At an impasse with Iran

The Iran nuclear talks defy easy comparison: But think of a labor negotiation in which it’s too costly for workers to go on strike or for management to impose a lockout, so the two sides continue without a contract while negotiations proceed. The situation appears stable, but that’s partly because it’s at an impasse.

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Stopping an Awakening in Iraq before it can start

Acenterpiece of President Obama’s strategy for defeating the Islamic State is mobilizing tribal fighters to join the Iraqi military in retaking Anbar province and others dominated by Sunnis. But new research shows that the jihadists have been working since 2009 to gut the very Sunni tribal leadership on which Obama’s rollback depends — making the U.S. campaign much more difficult.

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The moral issue of climate change

The politics of selfishness was embraced enthusiastically last week by Sen. Mitch McConnell. In dismissing President Obama’s deal with China to reduce carbon emissions, the incoming Senate majority leader said “carbon emission regulations are creating havoc in my state and other states around the country” by undermining economic interests.

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Power plays at the APEC summit in Beijing

The photograph on Tuesday from Beijing was as carefully arranged as a display of Ming pottery: Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping discussing the world’s business as they walked, side by side, across a bridge with ornate, brilliantly illuminated lampposts.

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A handy checklist for the U.S. effort in Iraq

As the United States advances into its third war in Iraq in a quarter-century, it’s important to have a mental checklist to assess whether U.S. strategy there can succeed. Right now, because of Iraq’s continuing corruption and sectarianism, it’s hard to be optimistic.

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Obama’s fourth-quarter agenda for foreign policy

President Obama looked almost relieved after Tuesday’s election blowout. A man who has been perhaps the least political president in modern U.S. history doesn’t have to worry about elections anymore.

“I’m going to be busy for the next two years,” Obama said at his “What, Me Worry?” news conference Wednesday. He batted away questions about his political setback in the midterm elections. “At the end of my presidency, I’ll say, we played that fourth quarter well.”

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