The Word Terrorism & Its Diminishing Returns: Towards a Rational, Useful Definition & Application

For the crime of terrorism to have weight, we must move globally towards a more specific definition that goes beyond…

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Western Democracy Is on Trial, More than Any Time Since WWII

Author’s note: when I wrote this, I was confident Clinton would win but still worried about the chance of a…

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December Republican Debate Exposed GOP As Joke on National Security

With its focus on national security, the mid-December Republican debate, though a month past, can still serve as a stark…

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This ONE Chart Breaks Down the Obama ISIS / Terrorism Strategy and Why Republican Ideas Will Make Things Far Worse

This is THE ONE chart / infographic you need to see that breaks down the broad components of Obama’s very…

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Claiming Obama’s Iraq Withdrawal Created ISIS Problem Is Absurd; Here Are the Top 5 Reasons Why

People claiming that the withdrawal from Iraq of U.S. forces carried out by the Obama Administration from 2010-2011 explains the…

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Republican Criticism of Obama’s Sound ISIS Strategy Myopic; GOP Ideas Help ISIS, Endanger Americans

GOP Ideas Help ISIS, Endanger Americans Just because Obama’s ISIS, counterterrorism, and Middle East strategy is complex and will not…

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Russia Reaping What It Sows in Syria: Putin Puts Russia on Path to Peril & Destabilizing Middle East; Downing of Russian Plane by Turkey Latest Result

In the wake of Turkey’s downing of a Russian military jet that violated its airspace and Russia’s resulting casualties, tensions…

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Terror in Paris: Time to Think, & Sit Down, Shutup to the Ideologues

As this historic terrorist attack unfolds, France, Europe, the West, and the Middle East need to really think about what…

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U.S. Deployment of Special Operations Forces to Syria: Another Low-Risk, High-reward Move by Team Obama

Author’s note: as Trump pulls U.S. troops out of Syria, it’s worth noting what I pointed out here in late…

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Blame Bibi Netanyahu for the Violence First, Then Blame Both the Israeli and Palestinian People

Netanyahu, by far, has the most power of anybody in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and this has been the case for over…

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Putin’s Reckless Syria Escalation Makes Russia, Russians, Target of Global Jihad (Again)

By intervening squarely on the side of Shiite Bashar al-Assad against his own mainly Sunni people and the entire Sunni…

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Grading Obama’s Middle East Strategy II: Syria’s Civil War

Grading Obama on what has—and has not—been done by his administration regarding the Syrian Civil War Originally published on LinkedIn…

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Top Political & Foreign Policy Lessons from Game of Thrones

Top ten political and foreign policy lessons from Game of Thrones, or, how Game of Thrones can rescue us from…

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Counterinsurgency (COIN) & Civilians: Israeli vs. American Approaches

How the U.S. learned the hard way from Israel what not to do when it comes to counterinsurgency (COIN) and…

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Why Isn’t Anyone Giving Obama Credit for Ousting Maliki?

How the Obama Administration Removed Iraq’s Largest Political Obstacle  Originally published on LinkedIn Pulse November 2, 2014   By Brian E. Frydenborg- LinkedIn,Facebook,…

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