Jamie Fly

The unhappy track record of happy talk.

John McCain’s warning to his party and farewell to his countrymen, reviewed by Jamie Fly

Tonight in Charlotte, at the Democratic convention, the Obama administration is expected to trumpet its foreign policy and national security record. It’s therefore worth taking a look at what President Obama has actually done.

President Obama’s budget cuts defense by $487 billion over the next ten years. Furthermore, the president has not led an effort to avoid an additional $500 billion of cuts under the so-called “sequestration,” which will likely result in what Obama’s secretary of defense predicts will be “smallest…

A funny thing happened last week in Iowa. Foreign policy—mostly the question of how to deal with the threat posed by a nuclear Iran—emerged front and center in the Republican presidential race.

In response to press reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died, the White House issued a statement on December 18th that said, “we remain committed to stability on the Korean peninsula, and to the freedom and security of our allies.” So, with the North Korean regime at perhaps its weakest…

One of the least covered aspects of the debt limit negotiations has been defense spending. Obama administration officials and congressional Democrats have indicated that the White House would like to include significant defense cuts as part of an eventual deal, even beyond the $400 billion in cuts…

Several weeks ago, I had the honor of visiting a Navy SEAL training facility in Virginia and spending a day with a SEAL team commanded by a former colleague from my time in government. I left that experience impressed by the bravery and commitment of these young men, who were preparing for a future…

Last week, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) unveiled its own budget proposal, which cuts over $3 trillion more than Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan over the next ten years. Despite all the media commentary about a divide within the Republican Party on the defense budget, the RSC proposal, like Paul…

One of the reactions to Paul Ryan’s budget from the left and the press has been the canard that it doesn’t address the real elephant in the room – a supposedly bloated Pentagon. Senate Democratic whip Dick Durbin said today that “When he doesn’t address savings in the Department of Defense and…

Americans looking for strong, assertive leadership have had to look abroad for an adequate response to Muammar Qaddafi’s brutal crackdown in Libya. That’s because the Obama administration’s response to the conflict has been weak and confused.

Herzliya, Israel

Over the last twenty-four hours, we’ve seen Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak promise not to seek another term, quickly followed by a peek at what the next eight months might look like if he continues to cling on to power. Today, armed pro-Mubarak thugs attacked peaceful anti-regime protesters,…

Last week, the Kremlin announced that Russian president Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree banning delivery of its advanced S-300 air defense system to Iran. For years, Iran watchers have followed Russia’s 2007 contract to deliver the system to Iran closely, given the S-300’s potential to upend the…

The headline of Peter Baker’s piece in Thursday’s New York Times pretty much says it all: “Despite Arrests, Working to Rebuild Russia Ties.”

Even though Iraqis turned out in droves to vote in parliamentary elections, and even though the Obama administration prepares to withdraw the last combat forces from Iraq this summer, opponents of the Iraq war amazingly continue to propagate the myth that the Bush administration led the country to…

As Iraqi election officials tally the votes from Sunday’s parliamentary elections, the Obama administration faces some difficult choices in the weeks and months ahead.  Despite the apparent success of the election and the limited violence associated with it, there is the potential for uncertainty…

In the days preceding the thirty first anniversary of Iran’s Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei threatened that Iran would deliver a “punch” to the West.  Most observers assumed that this meant that Iran would launch several missiles, perhaps photoshopping in a few more for added effect, and…

As Bill Kristol notes at the Washington Post, Vice President Biden couldn’t be bothered to express any support for the Iranian opposition the night before the Green Movement’s largest protests in months.  It appears from various reports that the tens of thousands of protesters that turned out today…

The 2010 Herzliya Conference in Israel ended with a whimper on Wednesday evening. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, delivering the 2010 Herzliya Lecture, stunned the audience of Israeli and international security experts by using his prime time platform to speak about almost every issue except…

Herzliya, Israel

President Obama relegated the foreign policy section of his first State of the Union address to the fourth quarter of the speech.  There were some worthwhile elements – he made a strong statement about his commitment to fighting “terrorists who threaten our nation.”  However, on both Afghanistan…

Now that we’re two weeks into 2010 and the Obama administration’s end of 2009 deadline for progress with Iran is quickly disappearing in the rear view mirror, one would expect that the administration would be moving towards the “crippling sanctions” that Secretary of State Clinton threatened Iran…

In 2009, President Obama made several courageous national security decisions, including extending his campaign timeline for withdrawal from Iraq and sending tens of thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan.  Both contravened many in his party who wanted U.S. troops out of Iraq as soon as…

Buried in Peter Baker's article for the New York Times magazine, "Inside Obama's War on Terrorism" are a few revealing nuggets about the President's approach to, dare I say, the GWOT. 

Earlier today, the President emerged from his Hawaii vacation to discuss the failed terror attack last week.  He also raised the protests that occurred in recent days in Iran, saying: "The United States joins with the international community in strongly condemning the violent and unjust…

Yesterday, the House passed the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act, sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), which imposes sanctions on companies that sell refined petroleum to Iran or support Iran's refining sector. This comes as President Obama's self-imposed year-end deadline for progress…

On a conference call with reporters, a senior Obama administration official said that during his speech on Afghanistan tonight, President Obama will reaffirm the "core goal of the United States in the region," which is to "disrupt, dismantle, and eventually defeat al Qaeda and to prevent their…

Last week, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs hailed the fact that Russia and China supported an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution criticizing Iran's continued noncompliance with multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, saying in a statement that Friday's vote…

The Hill reports that a Republican member of Congress is claiming that he was denied access to General Stanley McChrystal during a recent trip to Afghanistan: "Miller, who sits on both the Armed Services panel and the Intelligence Committee, told The Hill that the Pentagon denied his request for a…

This week saw several prominent columnists add their two cents to the debate about whether to send additional troops to Afghanistan. Some had useful insights based on recent trips to Afghanistan, not necessarily all supportive of General McChrystal's entire request for 40,000 additional troops, but…

During a trip to Germany and the Czech Republic earlier this month, I was surprised to find that many of the Europeans I spoke to seemed more cognizant than the Obama administration of how important it was to commit the resources necessary to win in Afghanistan. This has not always been the case.…

Over the weekend, Sen. John Kerry provided some covering fire for President Obama's dithering about his strategy for Afghanistan, telling CBS News that: "I don't see how President Obama can make a decision about the committing of our additional forces or even the further fulfillment of our mission…

Yesterday, President Obama hailed the fact that one Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe, voted for the Senate Finance Committee's healthcare legislation, saying that the "proposal has both Democratic and Republican support" and "includes ideas from both Democrats and Republicans." Perhaps the president…

For the last eight years, Democrats criticized the Bush administration for its supposed cowboy diplomacy and mishandling of U.S. international alliances. A Democratic administration, we were told, would be filled with savvy diplomatic hands who knew how to use leverage and American smart power to…

President Obama's decision to cancel plans for U.S. missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic is a knife in the back for those countries. The implications for U.S. security and the transatlantic relationship are profound. Critics rightly note that the sudden announcement Thursday sends…

During the 2008 Presidential campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama stated repeatedly that he would engage America's enemies to resolve disputes. In foreign policy, engagement is not always a bad thing if it is done correctly. When combined with leverage -- threats of military action or economic…

Despite the fantasy propagated by the left that missile defense does not work and that it creates instability by undermining deterrence, even countries critical of some aspects of the U.S. missile defense system, such as Russia, see the utility in deploying their own missile defense systems. As…

During President Obama's almost six months in office, support for two key aspects of his national security policy has been greater on the right than on the left. This fact has been curiously underreported. On Afghanistan, conservatives were quicker than their counterparts on the left to praise and…

As the Obama administration finalizes its preparations for the Obama-Medvedev summit next week, their vaunted "reset" of U.S. relations with Russia is experiencing some technical difficulties.

While much attention has been focused on the House Armed Services Committee's decision last week to include funding in the fiscal 2010 defense authorization act for the purchase of 12 additional F-22s despite Secretary Gates' efforts to shut down the program, one of the most hotly debated aspects…

On Thursday, President Obama said in his speech in Cairo that "Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of choice", and that "events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible." Today, President Obama visited the…

Who did New York Times reporter William J. Broad turn to for expert advice on the implications of the release of a document showing the locations of nuclear material in the United States? None other than John Deutch: "These screw-ups happen," said John M. Deutch, a former director of central…

The average American may have an excuse for not being familiar with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), President Obama's unfamiliarity with NGA is troubling. The NGA is a key source (if not the only source) for information on many of the issues he is being briefed about on a daily…

Three days after North Korea conducted its second nuclear test, public attention has already shifted to President Obama's Supreme Court pick and there seems to be little consensus about how the United States and its allies should respond. The Obama administration seems intent on continuing the Bush…

In his speech at the National Archives today, President Obama touted his administration's efforts to defend the United States, saying "We are investing in the 21st century military and intelligence capabilities that will allow us to stay one step ahead of a nimble enemy." The events of recent days…

Despite candidate Obama's repeated statements that he would be willing to talk to our enemies, including Iran, President Obama has yet to fully engage Tehran. Beyond a public message to the people of Iran on the occasion of the Persian New Year, a letter to the Iranian government inquiring about…

The Obama administration has sent mixed signals on missile defense. Secretary of Defense Gates last month announced that the Administration would terminate the Multiple Kill Vehicle program and the Kinetic Energy Interceptor program, put the Airborne Laser Program into research and development…

In the coming months, with little fanfare, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna will select a new Director General for the organization. This person will play an integral role in international efforts to curtail the nuclear weapons ambitions of countries…

This New York Times article sympathetically conveys the argument that because their staff could not be briefed, "few lawmakers are equipped to make difficult legal and policy judgments about secret programs." My experience with highly classified programs such as this is that even within the…

The District of Columbia's Council voted today to recognize gay marriages performed in other states, setting Republicans on the Hill up for a great opportunity to demagogue one of their favorite issues. As the Washington Post puts it, "The unanimous vote sets the stage for future debate on…

With the announcement by Secretary Gates yesterday of significant cuts to key defense programs, you would think that liberals would be celebrating. Surprisingly, some think that Gates didn't go far enough. The lead article in today's "Progress Report" put out by the Center for American Progress…

In the coming days, North Korea will likely launch what it claims is a satellite, using what the U.S. intelligence community believes is a Taepodong 2 missile. Iran and North Korea have in the past used supposed satellite launches to test and improve their long-range ballistic missile systems,…

After initially falling for the administration's rhetoric that the $533 billion they were allocating for the Defense Department in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget represented an increase over the Bush administration's final budget (an argument skillfully deconstructed by Tom Donnelly), the press now…

As the Obama Administration attempts to "reset" U.S. relations with Russia, it is important to remember that several staunch U.S. allies in Central and Eastern Europe have much to lose if the United States rushes to engage the Kremlin without taking into account Russia's treatment of its neighbors.…

Mickey Kaus says that the Freeman story proves "you can no longer be a well-informed citizen if you just read the Times and Post print editions." True, but the beginning of the end for Freeman came from Eli Lake's devastating reporting in the Washington Times on Freeman's foreign financial ties.…

Today's New York Times reports that Pentagon and NATO planners have explored using Iranian routes from the Arabian Sea to Afghanistan to supply Coalition forces there, thus avoiding routes through Pakistan which have recently come under attack. The article notes that U.S. supplies would not be sent…

Yesterday Secretary Clinton announced that the Obama Administration was sending two senior officials to Damascus this weekend to "discuss bilateral issues." Oddly, in their write-up of the announcement, the Times and Post both neglected to mention one of the key reasons behind the meltdown in…