Clifford D. May

Another unhappy September 11 anniversary

On September 11, 2001, a sparkling late summer morning, enemies of America hijacked four passenger jets and turned them into guided missiles.

September 10, 2019

The Islamic Republic lashes out

It's been 40 years since I've been to Iran. I'd love to return. At present, that seems inadvisable.

September 3, 2019

Why Hong Kong has a right to self-determination

The other day, President Trump took it into his head to buy Greenland. That stirred outrage and anger. "Thankfully," said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, "the time where you buy and sell other countries and populations is over."

August 27, 2019

Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib: The anti-Israel lobby

While Ms. Tlaib and Ms. Omar support boycotting Israelis they profess outrage that Israelis might choose to boycott them.

August 20, 2019

In Afghanistan, no deal is better than a bad deal

Two years ago this month, Zalmay Khalilzad, the distinguished diplomat who has served as America's ambassador to both Iraq and Afghanistan, praised President Trump for adopting "a realistic position regarding peace talks" with the Taliban, "moving away from President Barack Obama's pursuit of reconciliation regardless of the deteriorating military situation."

August 13, 2019

Why endless wars can’t be ended

"Only the dead have seen the end of war." Plato made that incisive observation a rather long time ago.

August 6, 2019

How art imitates life in Ukraine

Just over a year ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was a comic actor. One day, his rant against Ukrainian politics and politicians, surreptitiously recorded, goes viral on social media. The result: He's elected president of Ukraine with 67 percent of the vote.

July 30, 2019

Getting human rights right

At the State Department, human rights have generally been a not-so-high priority. The big kahunas tend to focus on war and peace, allies and adversaries, national security and global economics.

July 16, 2019

Who’s afraid of nationalism?

Is a new "age of nationalism already upon us?" That premise will be debated in Washington, July 14-16, at the "kick-off event" of the Edmund Burke Foundation, a fledgling public affairs institute dedicated to "strengthening the principles of national conservatism in Western and other democratic countries."

July 9, 2019

Palestinians’ ‘opportunity of the century’

Abba Eban, who was serving as his country's foreign minister after Israel defended itself from Egypt, Syria and Jordan in the Six-Day War, is said to have lamented that Palestinians "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity."

July 2, 2019

Hong Kong freedom fighters deserve more support than they’re getting

"God has planted in every heart," President George W. Bush famously said, "the desire to live in freedom," I've never been convinced that's true. But the desire to live in freedom has been planted in some hearts. In Hong Kong in recent days, we've been witnessing a bracing demonstration.

June 25, 2019

Why the Trump brand of nationalism works

Donald Trump strutted on the European stage last week and, it seems to me, put in a boffo performance. He wore white tie and tails. He charmed Queen Elizabeth. He gave the heroes of Normandy what may be, sadly, their final curtain call.

June 11, 2019

Socialism rises from the grave

In 2002, Joshua Muravchik, a distinguished scholar, wrote a history of socialism which, he thought, might also be considered an epitaph for socialism.

June 4, 2019

Talking to Trump may be how Iran leaders attempt to relieve the pain

Defenders of the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran predicted that President Trump's sanctions would have little impact unless our European friends joined in. They were dead wrong.

May 28, 2019

The imperative of deterrence

Are we at war yet? Over recent days, warnings of a gathering storm have been ubiquitous and incessant.

May 21, 2019

The United States must be stronger than any combination of colluding adversaries

How do you kill a lion? Years ago in Kenya, the question arose (no doubt over too many Tusker beers) and someone gave me what sounded like an authoritative answer.

May 14, 2019

China isn’t what it used to be

Last week, presidential contender Joseph Biden asked rhetorically: "China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man!" He added: "I mean, you know, they're not bad folks. But guess what, they're not competition for us!"

May 7, 2019

Vladimir Putin plays a weak hand well

Vladimir Putin wants to make Russia great again. He defines great as powerful, nothing more, nothing less. If you keep that in mind, everything he does makes perfect sense.

April 30, 2019

The Battle of Afghanistan and the contest of wills

Afghanistan is often said to be America's longest war, but that's imprecise. Afghanistan is the longest battle in what some of us insist on calling The Long War. When did the conflict begin?

April 23, 2019

Socialist eras and errors

Socialism is cool again, thanks not least to septuagenarian Sen. Bernie Sanders and millennial Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (aka AOC). Socialism has been cool before, of course, notably during the Great Depression and what became known as the Sixties, the era of Vietnam, the civil rights movement, hippies and the (old) New Left.

April 16, 2019