Francois Hollande is not even president of France yet but France’s tough position on the Iranian nuclear program already looks weaker.

Today the former French prime minister Michel Rocard is in Tehran meeting with top officials including the foreign minister and the nuclear negotiator. As this trip comes only days after Hollande’s victory, and as Rocard is like Hollande from the Socialist Party, it is hard to believe there was zero coordination or that Rocard would have gone if Hollande had asked him not to. If that is indeed the case, let us hope M. Hollande says so, and fast. Read more »

The situation in Bahrain continues to boil. Every week brings new reports of protests and police abuses, and the gap between the Sunni royal family and the mostly Shia population is by all accounts widening. There are also reports of growing radicalization within both the Sunni and Shia camps: more Shia demanding not reform and constitutional monarchy but an end to the rule of the al-Khalifa family, more Sunnis fearing that democracy will lead to Iranian influence and eventually domination. Every Bahraini with whom I have spoken this year acknowledges these growing divisions in their society. It is logical to fear that the center will not hold. Read more »

“When we took office, let me remind you, there was virtually no international pressure on Iran,” Biden said. “We were the problem. We were diplomatically isolated in the world, in the region, in Europe.” Read more »

On August 7, 2005, Israel’s Minister of Finance resigned his post in protest against Prime Minister Sharon’s plan to remove settlements and military bases from Gaza. That man was Benjamin Netanyahu. The Likud Party was split in two by the Sharon “Disengagement” plan, and Sharon quit Likud and formed the Kadima Party in November of that year. With him to Kadima came former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, while Netanyahu stayed in Likud and became its leader once again. Read more »

The foolish hope–whether real or pretended–that the UN plan for peace in Syria would work is gone. At least since the Assad regime’s bloody attack on Aleppo University last week, this has been clear even to previously blind diplomats. Read more »

It is difficult to draw final conclusions about the case of Chen Guancheng. He is unable to speak freely, and U.S. officials probably are as well, for a different reason: they have a variety of motives for whatever they say. They want to protect U.S.-PRC relations, the reputations of Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Locke, and the political interests of President Obama–and are probably more intensely focused on those goals than the protection of Mr. Chen. It may be a while before all the facts are clear. Read more »

It would be logical to assess that Hamas (a part of the Muslim Brotherhood) must be a winner from the “Arab Spring.” The various revolts have brought Islamists into power in several Arab countries, and most importantly the Muslim Brotherhood has attained a predominant position in Egypt’s parliament and may win the presidency in the forthcoming election. Read more »

From time to time come reminders that the disease of anti-Semitism remains deeply embedded and very widespread in Europe. Some of these are predictable, coming from the extreme right or extreme left, but once in a while comes a reminder that deserves special attention. Read more »

With the outbreak of political activity and elections in Egypt and Tunisia, and the recent dismissal of the prime minister in Jordan, what do Palestinians think about their frozen political situation? Why hasn’t the “Arab Spring” reached Gaza and the West Bank yet? Read more »

Kofi Annan is a very nice man. All the people around the world who would second that notion, or indeed advance it with great energy, should be joining together now to salvage his reputation.

As Secretary-General of the United Nations, Annan did not achieve much and did not push the great powers hard. But that is precisely why he was chosen to be the SG, and then re-elected. He got along with everyone, and unlike Kurt Waldheim did nothing that brought opprobrium on the institution. So he emerged with his reputation intact in 2006, and kept it that way: no dirty deals for quick millions, no associations with rotten causes. Read more »