Author Archive

Baby Steps in Cairo »

By Patrick L. Lang on Jun 6, 2009 in Current Affairs | 26 Comments

From Yahoo News:
"..the Christian son of a Kenyan Muslim father and a Kansas mother sought common cause in part by addressing his own roots — and using a middle name that opponents used against him at inflammatory moments in the presidential campaign.
"Much has been made of the fact that an African-American with the name Barack Hussein [...]

What Are The Ramifications Of Obama’s Speech To The Muslim World? »

By Patrick L. Lang on Jun 4, 2009 in Current Affairs | 16 Comments

Reprinted with express permission from The National Journal.
"How many hundreds of thousands would you like on the streets?"  This is a question that must have been asked of the "advanced team."  That question is much asked in similar circumstances in that part of the world.  There will be many hundreds of thousands, and why not?  [...]

Policy in Afghanistan »

By Patrick L. Lang on Apr 30, 2009 in Afghanistan, Islam, Muslim, Pakistan, President Barack Obama | 30 Comments

I have been asked to "put up or shut up" about Afghanistan. In other words, I have been asked to make clear my views on an appropriate US policy for Afghanistan.  I thought I had done that, but, no matter.
I think that we Americans need to stop exaggerating the level of threat to the [...]

Harman/AIPAC Part 2 »

By Patrick L. Lang on Apr 21, 2009 in AIPAC, Intelligence, Israel, Jane Harman, Speaker Nancy Pelosi | 28 Comments

(Editor’s Note: See Part I: “Jane Harman and Rod Blagojevich.”)
"The official with access to the transcripts said someone seeking help for the employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, (AIPAC) a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, was recorded asking Ms. Harman, a longtime supporter of its efforts, to intervene with the Justice Department. She responded, [...]

Jane Harman and Rod Blagojevich »

By Patrick L. Lang on Apr 21, 2009 in AIPAC, Intelligence, Israel, National Security, Rod Blagojevich | 16 Comments

(Editor’s Note: Stay tuned for Part II later this evening.)
CQ Politics:
"Rep. Jane Harman, the California Democrat with a longtime involvement in intelligence issues, was overheard on an NSA wiretap telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department to reduce espionage-related charges against two officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs [...]

“We wuz robbed.” Chalabi, Bush and Iran. »

By Patrick L. Lang on Apr 21, 2009 in Bush/Cheney, Iran, Iraq | 17 Comments

(Bumped up from Monday . Pat’s post got short shrift because of server issues, now thankfully resolved. In the middle ad column, don’t miss the video of Pat’s powerful testimony on behalf of Valerie Plame Wilson and the protection of all covert personnel, as well as the ad for his latest novel.)
From Sic Semper [...]

Dennis Ross and the “Jewish People Policy Planning Institute” »

By Patrick L. Lang on Jan 27, 2009 in Current Affairs, Iran, Israel, Jews, Middle East, Palestinians | 5 Comments

From Pat Lang’s blog, Sic Semper Tyrannis. Pat’s bio is below.
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"A think tank founded recently by The Jewish Agency.
The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute was established in 2002 by the Jewish Agency for Israel to be an independent professional policy planning think tank entrusted with the mission of promoting the identity, culture, prosperity, and [...]

An inevitable outcome in Gaza »

By Patrick L. Lang on Jan 19, 2009 in Egypt, Gaza, Hamas, Iran, Israel, Palestinians | 41 Comments

(bumped up by Susan)
 
“Hamas officials were set to hold talks in Cairo with Egyptian mediators to hear the Israeli response to proposals put forward by the Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has offered a one-year, renewable truce on condition that all Israeli forces leave Gaza within a week and that all the [...]

Hamas and Iran »

By Patrick L. Lang on Jan 16, 2009 in Hamas, Iran | 41 Comments

(bumped up from Thursday early afternoon)
From Pat Lang’s blog, Sic Semper Tyrannis. Pat’s bio is below. UPDATE: Corrected to include full text.
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I have been asked to explain for the general public how it is that Hamas ("The Movement for Islamic Resistance"), A Sunni Muslim organization has come to be supported by the Shia theocracy in [...]

Real soldiers do not target children »

By Patrick L. Lang on Jan 15, 2009 in Gaza, Israel | 72 Comments

If the BBC is to be believed, IDF soldiers are deliberately shooting women and children in Gaza.  Their TV reporting from the scene today interviewed doctors in hospitals who asked the obvious rhetorical question as to why they have children patients with multiple small arms wounds.  One child had two bullets in the head.  In the [...]

No end in sight in Gaza »

By Patrick L. Lang on Jan 11, 2009 in Current Affairs | 37 Comments

From my blog, Sic Semper Tyrannis || biography
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"In Damascus, Syria-based Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas, on Saturday rejected any deployment of international observers or troops in Gaza.
A statement issued by the groups after a meeting attended by Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal also rejected any security arrangement that "infringes on the right of resistance [...]

The IDF Ground Force (Updated) »

By Patrick L. Lang on Jan 8, 2009 in Current Affairs | 291 Comments

 EDITOR’s NOTE: The update, which is essential reading, is at the end of this post.
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By Patrick Lang
Ed. Note: As Larry Johnson wrote about Pat Lang’s other recent post on “Israel’s Gaza Misadventure,” “Pat Lang is a dear friend and a brilliant scholar. He established the Arabic program at West Point, he headed up the Defense [...]

Pakistan Was a Bad Idea »

By Patrick L. Lang on Nov 5, 2007 in Pakistan | 17 Comments

By Patrick L. Lang (Blog: Sic Semper Tyrannis 2007)
Yahoo News: “Let’s not be delusional about the U.S. government’s influence. This is a huge, complex country, and most everything is going to happen outside of our play,” said Rick Barton, a Pakistan expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “But we can be [...]