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"Since the events of 9/11," observes Lee Harris, America's reigning philosopher of 9/11, "the policy debate in the United States has been primarily focused on a set of problems -- radical Islam and the War on Terrorism, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Saddam Hussein in Iraq." We sense that these three problems are related, Harris notes in an article at TechCentralStation.com, but we can't quite figure out how. He proposes a subtle link between these seemingly disparate issues -- and it's not specifically their common Muslim identity. Rather, it...

<p>July 22, 2003 -- 'SINCE the events of 9/11," observes Lee Harris, America's reigning philosopher of 9/11, "the policy debate in the United States has been primarily focused on a set of problems - radical Islam and the War on Terrorism, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Saddam Hussein in Iraq."</p>

Symposium: The Future of U.S.-Saudi RelationsBy Jamie GlazovFrontPageMagazine.com | July 11, 2003 As the Saudis' financing of terror becomes increasingly more evident, the question of what policy the U.S. should adopt toward the House of Saud grows in vital importance. A U.S. government report on 9/11 that will be released in two weeks is said to contain “explosive” information confirming, among other things, Saudi ties to the 9/11 terrorists and Saudi funding of terrorists in general.It now appears more urgent than ever to ask: what policy should Washington pursue toward Saudi Arabia? Are we at a landmark watershed? Should the U.S. "punish" the Saudis? To discuss these and other...

body,h1,h2,h3,p,ul,ol,li { font-family:arial; } From www.danielpipes.org | Original article available at: www.danielpipes.org/article/1143 "A Shot at Peace": Can the U.S. Enforce the "Road Map" by Daniel PipesNew York PostJuly 8, 2003 In private conversations with Bush administration officials this past week, I was favorably impressed by their realism about the U.S.-sponsored "road map" plan to stop Palestinian-Israeli violence. But I worry nonetheless that things could go awry.Those worries stem from the seven years (1993-2000) of the Oslo round of Palestinian-Israeli diplomacy, when well-intentioned Israeli initiatives to resolve the conflict only worsened it. I learned two main lessons about Palestinian-Israel negotiations: Unless...

The U.S. government has a habit of seeing the same military moves very differently, depending on whether Israeli or American forces carry them out. This inconsistency results from a misunderstanding of the nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict. For example, "targeted killings" (executing would-be terrorists before they have a chance to organize or act) are "unhelpful" when done by Israeli troops but "very good" when done by Americans. Thus, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher condemned Israel's September 2002 attack on Mohamed Deif: "We are against targeted killings. We are against the use of heavy weaponry in urban areas, even when it...

The U.S. Congress broke with a 45-year tradition last week: It permitted a dissident to critique the federal funding for the study of foreign language and cultures - to suggest that the program often serves the very opposite of academia's goals or the nation's interests. The topic impinges on core questions of how Americans see the outside world and themselves. It also has major implications for U.S. policy. Federal funding of international studies (known in govermentese as "Title VI fellowships") is relatively new, going back to 1959, when Cold War tensions prompted a sense of American vulnerability. The goal was...

The U.S. Congress broke with a 45-year tradition last week. It permitted a dissident to critique federal funding for the study of foreign language and cultures. The topic may appear academic, but it impinges on deep questions about how Americans see the outside world and themselves. It also has major implications for U.S. policy. Federal funding of international studies (known in govermentese as "Title VI fellowships") is relatively new, going back to 1959, when cold war tensions prompted a sense of American vulnerability. The goal was to supply knowledgeable specialists to government, business, industry, and education. (Full disclosure: I received...

Ninety-nine Americans out of 100 have probably never heard of the United States Institute for Peace, but that hasn't stopped a pitched battle from breaking out over President Bush's nomination of Daniel Pipes to the institute's board of directors. The USIP was created by an act of Congress in 1984 "to promote international peace and the resolution of conflicts among the nations and peoples of the world." Its bipartisan board reflects a multiplicity of ideologies and opinions, but each director must, by law, "have appropriate practical or academic experience in peace and conflict resolution." What Pipes offers the institute is...

<p>NINETY-NINE Americans out of 100 have probably never heard of the United States Institute for Peace, but that hasn't stopped a pitched battle from breaking out over President Bush's nomination of Daniel Pipes to the institute's board of directors.</p> <p>The USIP was created by an act of Congress in 1984 ''to promote international peace and the resolution of conflicts among the nations and peoples of the world.'' Its bipartisan board reflects a multiplicity of ideologies and opinions, but each director must, by law, ''have appropriate practical or academic experience in peace and conflict resolution.''</p>

"Our goal is two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side, in peace and security." So spoke President Bush at a Middle East summit on June 4. Then, despite the jump in violence over the next 10 days, leaving 63 dead, he reiterated on Sunday his belief in "a peaceful Palestinian state, living side by side with the Israelis," though now adding "we've got a lot of work to do." Bush's goal may appear to be just another diplomatic twist in the half-century search for an Arab-Israeli resolution. But it is much more. Indeed, it could well be the...

Two oddly similar searches are underway in Iraq these days, one for Saddam Hussein and another for his weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Neither has yet been found. No one argues that because Saddam has not been located, he never existed. But that is what some are saying about the coalition forces not finding actual WMD. Probably those weapons were well hidden; maybe some were latterly destroyed. What if they are never found - does that undercut the rationale for going to war? Hardly; WMD was never the basic reason for the war. Nor was it the horrid repression in...

Two oddly similar searches are underway in Iraq these days one for Saddam Hussein and the other for his weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Neither has yet been found. No one has yet argued that because Saddam has not been located, he never existed. But that is what some are saying about the coalition forces' not finding actual WMD. Probably those weapons were well hidden; maybe some were latterly destroyed. What if they are never found does that undercut the rationale for going to war against Saddam Hussein? Hardly. WMD were never the basic reason for the war. Nor was...

<p>June 3, 2003 -- TWO oddly similar searches are underway in Iraq these days, one for Saddam Hussein and another for his weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Neither has yet been found.</p> <p>No one argues that because Saddam has not been located, he never existed. But that is what some are saying about the coalition forces not finding actual WMD.</p>

In mid-May, a day after suicide bombers killed 29 people in Morocco, that country's interior minister noted that the five nearly simultaneous attacks "bear the hallmarks of international terrorism." More strongly, the Moroccan justice minister asserted a "connection to international terrorism" and the prime minister spoke of a "foreign hand" behind the violence. Westerners were more specific about the source of terrorism. "Al-Qaeda is back with a vengeance," declared Sen. Robert Byrd (Democrat of West Virginia), referring to this attack and one a few days earlier in Saudi Arabia. "Al-Qaeda is back on the rampage" agreed the BBC and many...

To: U.S. Senate (& possibly Pres. Bush, too) To President George W. Bush and all members of the United States Senate: We support the nomination and confirmation of Daniel Pipes to the Board of the United States Institute of Peace. Sincerely,

IMMEDIATELY after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, the Bush administration said all the right things about Muslims and Arab-Americans. President Bush visited a mosque in Washington and met with Muslim leaders. He also declared, on national TV, that Muslims and Arab-Americans were not behind the 9/11 terror (which they weren't) and that it was un-American to blame them. But his positive words have been followed by bad deeds. A litany of anti-Arab and Muslim actions, including numerous ramifications of the Patriot Act, "voluntary" interviews and special immigration registration would be a vast list. Two recent actions dramatically illustrate insensitivity...

<p>Some Muslim groups in the U.S. have launched a campaign to block the appointment of Daniel Pipes to the board of the United States Institute of Peace. The USIP is a taxpayer-funded institution with a mandate to promote "peaceful resolutions of international conflicts." Mr. Pipes, a Bush administration nominee, is a scholar of Islam and the Middle East and an outspoken critic of militant Islamists.</p>

Yale University is one of America's most venerable and influential institutions. The last three president have been Yalies (four, if you include co-president Hillary) along with numerous Supreme Court justices, Cabinet secretaries, dignitaries, writers, opinion-shapers and business leaders. Yet this aristocratic institution was the rude site of a professorial commencement "protest" when President Bush spoke at its graduation three years ago, has recently played host to a virulently anti-Semitic "poet" and refuses to honor and support the brave men and women of our armed forces whose sacrifices make its intellectual riches and freedoms possible.

The four bombings in Saudi Arabia Monday, which killed dozens, including 10 Americans, are symptomatic of a deep fissure in that country. The argument is over religion, politics and foreigners—and it goes back a long way. The West must react by helping the Saudi family win this dispute, while putting pressure on it to reform. Saudi Arabia's origins lie in the mid-eighteenth century, when a tribal leader named Muhammad Al Saud joined forces with a religious leader named Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab. The first gave his name to the kingdom that (with the exception of two interim periods) still exists;...

From www.danielpipes.org | Original article available at: www.danielpipes.org/article/1098 Arabia's Civil War by Daniel Pipes Wall Street Journal Europe May 14, 2003 The four bombings in Saudi Arabia Monday, which killed dozens, including 10 Americans, are symptomatic of a deep fissure in that country. The argument is over religion, politics and foreigners—and it goes back a long way. The West must react by helping the Saudi family win this dispute, while putting pressure on it to reform. Saudi Arabia's origins lie in the mid-eighteenth century, when a tribal leader named Muhammad Al Saud joined forces with a religious leader named Muhammad...