FEATURED ARTICLE
The Mideast Strategic-Consensus Fantasy
By Leon Hadar
Despite the pending release of an intelligence report that would paint a much less menacing Iran,
the United States used the Annapolis talks to push an old and discredited idea: that a perceived common
threat—Shiite Iran—could bring together Arabs and Jews under an American umbrella and help create the
conditions for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. The staying power of this strategic fantasy, shared
by the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, attests to the influence of pro-Likud neoconservative
ideologues on these two conservative Republican presidents. Read
full story.
SEE ALSO:
The NIE Bombshell
By Gareth Porter
The new national intelligence estimate on Iran throws into turmoil the campaign by the Bush administration
to take aggressive action against Iran. It also validates European arguments on the efficacy of negotiations
and the power of diplomacy. Read full story.
FEATURED PROFILES
Clifford May
After the release of the new intelligence estimate discounting Iran's nuclear weapons program, May,
head of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, was one of the first to try to discredit it.
David Steinmann
A New York-based investment banker and chairman of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs,
Steinmann is a longtime supporter of hardline pro-Israel policies who has served in leading roles for
neoconservative organizations.
Foundation for Democracy in Iran
FDI, founded with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy, serves as a vehicle for its
head, Kenneth Timmerman, to promote his anti-Tehran views.
Coalition for Democracy in Iran
The now-defunct coalition, founded in 2002 by the former head of the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, helped spearhead efforts to turn attention to Iran after the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Norman Hascoe
Hascoe, the former head of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, a powerful Likudnik
organization based in Washington, passed away in late October.
ALSO NEW ON RIGHT WEB
Annapolis: Aimed at Iran?
By Khody Akhavi
The Annapolis talks may have been aimed at convincing Mideast states that their most dangerous threat
comes from the ascendance of Iran and its brand of Islamic radicalism. Read
full story.
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