01/15/2012 by Richard Weitz Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent five-day, four-country Latin American tour, his fifth to the region as president, has been designed to bolster his reelection chances by showing his supposed global clout, achieve economic gains through bilateral deals, and circumvent international sanctions, which are becoming increasingly severe.…
01/15/2012 by Richard Weitz Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s failure to secure Chinese government support for imposing sanctions on Iran should come as no surprise. The Chinese government has long resisted sanctions that are not approved by the UNSC, which gives Beijing the right to veto them. And within the UNSC…
01/14/2012 by Robbin Laird 2011 was the first full year of the publication of Second Line of Defense with the core team fully operational. The year saw more than 800 postings, the publication of three new books, and the publication of additional issues of our French magazine. The year also…
01/13/2012 by Robbin Laird The USN-USMC team is building forces for the future : as the largest amphibious exercise since the 1990s will take place starting this month in Norfolk, Va, it will include not only US forces but French, Dutch and British forces as well. The USN-USMC team is…
01/12/2012 by Robbin Laird Combining Aegis with the new Joint Strike Fighter will enhance coverage and lead to a global honeycomb of defensive capabilities…. Aegis capabilities are essential for power projection against missiles and other threats, especially in light of the current instability and uncertainty emanating from areas such as…
01/10/2012 by Richard Weitz 2012 will prove challenging for the US-Pakistani relationship. And this relationship will have a core relationship to the Afghan end game and the evolution of security relationships in the region. Dealing with the blow ups at the end of 2011 will be important. The Unites States…
01/10/2011 by Ed Timerplake In a recent personal attack on Dr. Carafano of the Heritage Foundation, Thomas Christie, Pierre Sprey, Chuck Spinney and Winslow Wheeler wander out of the Platonic cave to argue once again against new aircraft. [caption id="attachment_32160" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Frozen in Time 4 Can't Make the…
01/08/2012 - by Robbin Laird The F-35 will be a cornerstone of Japanese defense. The Japanese know something about technology. As a leader in technology worldwide, the Japanese decision validates the cutting edge role of the F-35. The F-35 is the first aircraft in history which can see 360 degrees…
