In a February 5, 2012 interview with NBC, President Obama was asked if Israel intends to attack Iran. The President answered that he doesn’t think Israel has decided what it should do about Iran. The President clarified that Israel, like America, thinks that Iran must stop its nuclear development program. Israel, stated the President, is “rightly very concerned” about Iran’s nuclear program. The United States is “working in lockstep” with Israel in order to prevent the nuclearization of Iran.
In early December 2011, a US Department of Defense report about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) was leaked to the media. The report, dubbed the “Quick Look Review” (QLR), was written by a committee that included some senior US defense establishment figures who were charged specifically with looking into the question of “concurrency,” i.e., selling the airplane while the flight testing is still underway. The committee was set up in light of a less than glowing report about the flight tests submitted at the...
The four races within the Republican Party in January 2012 were supposed to have reduced the number of contenders vying for the Republican presidential nomination, and indeed by February, only four are left standing: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul. Those placing bets might say that the primaries are over and Mitt Romney is the candidate who will face President Obama in the November 2012 general elections.
There have been a number of indications of late that the US is adopting a new and considerably more determined approach to Iran’s nuclear program. These include stepped-up pressure on Iran through sanctions without waiting for Russia and China to “come on board,” as well as a series of covert actions that are specifically targeting different elements of Iran’s nuclear program. The US is suspected of either leading this effort or cooperating with others in executing it.
The book includes thirteen analytical essays written by INSS researchers. Focus is on Israel’s strategic environment, particularly in the wake of the major changes experienced in the Middle East commonly known as the Arab spring. The ongoing Palestinian issue and Iran’s nuclear program remain at the fore of the challenges facing Israel. Other issues explored in the volume include the “new” Middle East and the role of the superpowers, Turkey, and questions of particular urgency to Israel, including the...
Over the course of 2011, the international community – and in particular the trans-Atlantic bloc and Russia – was challenged by the need to contend with major domestic political-economic issues on the one hand, and on the other hand, to confront the Arab spring and provide an appropriate political, economic, and at times military response. These challenges will continue to preoccupy the United States, the European Union, and Russia in 2012 and beyond, and will impel them to try to avoid further deterioration in their domestic...
With about 300 days to go, the picture of the upcoming presidential race is not yet clear. Caucuses and primaries in January 2012 may narrow the Republican arena but still not point to the likely winner. Meanwhile, December 2011 proved to be a memorable campaign month, when more promises than ever about Israel were made by the incumbent President and all the Republican contenders, bar one.
In his speech at the Saban Forum on December 2, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta stressed the need for Israel to work together with the United States to foil the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear project. Panetta’s words were expressed in the context of growing concerns in the American administration that Israel is preparing to act independently against Iran in order to foil its nuclear ambitions. When asked recently if Israel would give the US advance notice before taking military action against Iran, Gen. Martin Dempsey,...
On Tuesday, November 6, 2012, American voters will decide who will be the next president of the United States of America. They will also determine whether the Democrats will continue to control the Senate and the Republicans the House of Representatives. While the Democratic candidate, incumbent President Obama, is well known, the Republican hopefuls are busy wrestling with one another. Texas Governor Rick Perry, who only a month ago seemed like the frontrunner, has lost some of his glow, while the African-American candidate, Herman...
The memorandum, which focuses on the formulation of national security policy along with questions sparked by the emergence of the “Arab spring,” compiles the presentations given by the speakers at the INSS fourth annual international conference.
This essay surveys Pakistan’s national interests and the rationale underlying its posture vis-à-vis the United States, especially regarding cooperation in the war on terrorism. It also examines the regional struggles in which Pakistan is involved, specifically, its bitter conflict with India and its relations with China. Despite the recent US criticism of Pakistani conduct and deteriorating bilateral relations, a comprehensive examination of the geostrategic regional situation and the interests of both the United States and...
The attempt on the life of the Saudi ambassador to Washington has brought Iranian-US relations to an all-time low. However, this event did not occur in a vacuum: Iranian provocations directed at the United States have increased recently, raising the possibility of a confrontation, even if limited, between the two nations. Over the past few months, Shiite militias supported by Iran have killed a large number of American soldiers in Iraq, as if to suggest that US troops will be withdrawing from Iraq in the coming months under fire....
