Free Republic

Iran’s so-called “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was reportedly persuaded to talk with the Trump administration about a new nuclear deal after being told by advisers that the regime could collapse if he did not. Khamenei had previously rejected talks with Trump. But with Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions, his military action against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, and Israel’s destruction of Iran’s air defenses last year, Khamenei’s advisers appear to have believed that the regime was on the ropes. The New York Times reported Friday: Mr. Khamenei had publicly and repeatedly banned engaging with Washington, calling it unwise...

WASHINGTON - 'We do not find that the administration has made a compelling case that he [Saddam Hussein] poses an immediate danger to the vital interests of the United States." So said an influential U.S. voice last week. But an equally influential voice opined: "the Europeans and the United Nations must recognize that Saddam Hussein does pose a clear and present danger to the peaceful international order ..." If you make the reasonable assumption that U.S. vital interests include the peaceful international order, and that the difference is more apparent than real between a clear and present danger and an...