Once again, the “winds of war” are beginning to gain strength, as  international relationships between Iran and the West (including Israel) continue to deteriorate at a rapid pace.   There is little doubt that the volatile and vociferous  leadership of  Iran has made a decision to develop and strengthen their military capabilities, and to pursue an aggressive course of action against  neighboring countries.   The imposition of economic sanctions against the Iranians by Western nations has done nothing to weaken the Iranian’s resolve to develop nuclear weapons capabilities, and have failed to …

Image by azrainman via Flickr

At the same time that  U.S. troops in Afghanistan are putting their lives on the line  fighting Taliban and al Qaida insurgents, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Kabul.  As could be expected, Ahmadinejad has taken this opportunity to sharply criticize the U.S. for its military presence in Afghanistan, and to emphasize that Americans will never be able to bring peace to Afghanistan through military means.  The Iranian President further stated that the presence of  U.S. troops in Afghanistan is …

On October first I alluded to my shock that General Stanley McChrystal appeared on 60 Minutes and postured about the future direction of the U.S. in Afghanistan. Having worked for a government agency for a number of years, I am well-aware of the importance of following “the chain of command.” Watching McChrystal on 60 Minutes I had two thoughts. One thought was that he was going rogue. The second thought was that he was set up to do this in order to get the pulse of public reaction. I have …