Latest Articles

Sanctions, Tillerson, and Democrat Attempts to Rewrite History in the Middle East

July 25, 2017  •  Perspectives with Denise Wood / i24News

Matthew RJ Brodsky joins Denise Wood on i24News Perspectives to discuss the political agenda behind the sanctions legislation debated in Congress. He also discusses the current attempts to rewrite history in the Middle East by the Obama "Echo Chamber" and the tug of war inside the Trump administration over the direction of U.S. foreign policy.

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A State Department Gone Rogue on Iran

July 24, 2017  •  The Jerusalem Post

For the second time during Donald Trump's brief tenure as president, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the State Department won in the inter-administration battle over the fate of the nuclear deal with Iran, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). That victory, however, may end up being short lived given the trajectory of the administration's overall developing policy toward the regime in Tehran and the process by which the reoccurring 90-day certification of Iran took place in April and again on July 17.

The whole ordeal cast a light on the shrinking esteem in which the president seems to hold Secretary Tillerson and the crew of Obama-era holdovers upon whose guidance he relies.

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Trump Ending CIA Arming of Syrian Rebels Is Not a Big Policy Shift

July 20, 2017  •  The Rundown with Denise Wood / i24News

Matthew RJ Brodsky joins Denise Wood on i24News The Rundown to briefly discuss President Trump's decision to end the CIA program of arming Syrian rebels. He pushes back on the notion that it represents a major policy shift, which he attributes to Obama administration talking points making the rounds in place of real analysis. The CIA program pertained to rebels in northern and northwestern Syria and has no affect on the other rebels the U.S. is supporting.

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The Qatar Crisis is a Test and Tillerson is Failing

July 18, 2017  •  The Hill

The Persian Gulf crisis with Qatar that erupted on June 5 reached a stalemate. So far, attempts to resolve it have been characterized by internal dissent, mixed messaging and amateurish maneuvering — and that only describes the U.S. response. Indeed, the task of diplomacy rests primarily on the State Department's shoulders, and if past performance is indicative of future results, there are many reasons to be concerned.

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It's Time for a New Qatar Policy that Puts America's Interests First

July 17, 2017  •  The Federalist

Qatar's promiscuous foreign policy isn't just bad for the region, it's harmful to U.S. interests at home and abroad. To realize the multiple dimensions this challenge presents and only seek to paper over them ensures the same cycle will repeat. Given the goals President Trump laid out in Riyadh, he should seek a change in Doha's duplicitous behavior and bring them back into the fold on terms that align more with his vision. That means the deal worth making is a new one predicated on American interests, not the interests of those addicted to both the money and the status quo.

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