Iran | Charles Duelfer

Tag Archives: Iran

Things to Consider: Iraq War at 20

Everyone (and their dog) is writing/commenting about the Iraq war 20 years later.  I doubt more accuracy is achieved in these tales after 20 years.  Everyone seems to think they were central to events.  Some of them were.[1]    My perspective was also partial, … Continue reading

Posted in Allies, Chemical Weapons, Intelligence, Iran, Iraq, Sunni, Syria CW, United Nations, WMD | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In Iraq–ISIS is Symptom, the Problem is Worse

In Iraq, Washington is treating a symptom and avoiding the underlying problem.  Washington is busy with ISIS in Iraq and reporting substantial progress. On June 28th, Ambassador Brett McGurk reported to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (http://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/062816_McGurk_Testimony.pdf) on progress the … Continue reading

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Politics in Washington and Beijing

With the United States self-absorbed in its own elections…staring at its navel…it is interesting to see other capitals focusing attention on the upcoming 18th Party Congress that begins two days after the US election. Leadership will change in China and … Continue reading

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Iran: The Crisis Grows and US Lacks Influence

The Iran nuclear problem is approaching crisis stage and the IAEA is in a critical position. They have done a remarkable job in being steadfast in working toward their larger objectives and in maintaining credibility in a highly charged political … Continue reading

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Syrian Ambassador on WMD Use

The Syrian ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf al-Fares, has declared his opposition to the Bashir al-Assad regime in Damascus. He has made strong public denunciations of the regime and declared that Bashir would use his chemical weapons capability against the opposition. … Continue reading

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Picture Washington as seen by Tehran

Imagine you’re the intelligence analyst in Tehran who is charged with making an assessment of the leadership in Washington…and predicting what President Obama will do. Not an easy task. Even Washington can’t predict what Washington will do. Still, some in … Continue reading

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The Real Change in Iraq

President Obama is doing the equivalent of the “Moonwalk” out of Iraq. There have been negotiations concerning the potential retention of US forces, but without success. It is not clear either side would welcome success. Maliki has no use for … Continue reading

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