Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on January 14, 2016
Eliminating IS and removing the Assad regime would require resources, modest troop commitments, unanimity of purpose and, above all, resolve. What is it that the United States, its Arab and Western allies, and the Syrian people seek in Syria? The objectives are several: 1) The complete defeat and annihilation of the Islamic State (IS); […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on January 7, 2016
With Saudi Arabia and Iran locked in a diplomatic row, concerted international intervention will be critical to avert a regional and global calamity. Since the Arab Spring some five years ago, the Middle East has experienced a wave of tragic events. Many of them—Syria’s bloody civil war, Libya’s descent into chaos, the Islamic State’s diabolical […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on December 21, 2015
After two failures by the Obama administration to broker peace, will the Israelis and Palestinians go back to the bargaining table? In early December, US Secretary of State John Kerry issued a stark warning to the leaderships of Israel and Palestine on the urgency of resuming face-to-face negotiations and reaching a final settlement. His comments […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on November 23, 2015
Can the Islamic State be defeated from the air alone? The answer: no, it cannot. It is impossible to understand, let alone read, the torrent of commentary, analysis and just plain venting that has followed the unspeakable tragedy in Paris on November 13. No one could be blamed for simply tuning out. How much human […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on November 16, 2015
Crises in the Middle East appear to be worsening at an exponential rate, making for a dangerously combustible mix and further complicating decisions for policymakers. Events in Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Territories and as far as Europe appear to be spiraling as new actors enter the picture and old issues reemerge. These […]