Ximena Ortiz Commentary

Holier Than Thou

Islamic governments need to respect religious liberty at home before lecturing the West about intolerance.

Carrots and Sticks

Israel would lose a lot in a peace deal with Palestine. If Obama really wants a new settlement, he needs to reward the Israelis for cooperating—and punish them if they don’t.

Obama's Speech

The president’s Cairo address confirmed his skill as an orator and encouraged Arabs and Israelis to work toward peace. But the realities of the AfPak conflict will probably ring truer in Muslim ears than Obama’s dulcet tones.

Pelosi's Pirouettes

Nancy Pelosi’s flip-flopping votes on the Iraq War and wishy-washy statements on torture are indicative of the supine stance Congress took during the Bush administration.

Hamid & Asif's Excellent Adventure

While the Afghan and Pakistani presidents have photo-ops with President Obama, their people are coming to see them as little more than stooges for America.

Food Follies

Pakistan, beset with high food prices, has just decided to sell a large chunk of arable land to foreign investors. Could Islamabad be any more foolish?

Droned Out

The Taliban’s PR in Pakistan is pretty bad. If we stopped drone attacks, the insurgency would become even more unpopular.

Barack the Timid

Instead of being bold and daring, Obama has been staid and cautious. He needs to take some risks and step on some toes to get America out of its economic funk.

Obama's Mediocrity

Although Obama is a cut above recent presidents, our times demand extraordinary leadership—and so far he hasn’t delivered.

Déjà Vu in Gaza

Despite vows to not repeat its mistakes from Lebanon in 2006, Israel has made the same missteps in Gaza.

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May 26, 2012