Navalny and Putin's Russia

My latest piece for The Daily Caller.

Iran continued

Listed below are links to my previous published writings on Iran/related. (Updated Regularly)

Israel could attack Iran without causing a major war in the region

The geo-strategic impact of Iran attaining a nuclear weapons capability

How Iran will use brinkmanship to protect its nuclear program

Examining the evolving relationship between Syria and Hizballah

Iran plots against US and How US should have responded

Netanyahu strategy on Iran

How domestic politics influences Iranian, US and Israeli foreign policy

Iran

Mitt Romney will make a speech tonight outlining how a President Romney would take a tough approach on Iran.

Mitt Romney in London

Mitt Romney is in London. Sadly, as a student, my budget is about $2,400 below what I would need to meet him. Maybe next time.

Why I support the right to bear arms.

Amidst the horrific news from Aurora, Colorado last week, I was reluctant to engage on this issue earlier. My thinking on gun rights is threefold. 1) Guns are important as a preserver of the national ideology of individual freedom that sustains American society. 2) Guns are an important part of individual protection, allowing families to provide safety for themselves. 3) Guns are important as a cultural tool in American society - hunting, sport shooting and in some cases decoration. I currently live in the UK (gun possession is highly restricted here) and while I obviously respect UK laws, I wish more Europeans would respect that the US takes a different view.

1) On the first point, the original intent of the 2nd amendment was to provide for an armed citizenry who could in a timeless sense, provide for the defense of democracy. The founders sought to ensure that however powerful government might become, government would ultimately always find its power in the people via an understanding that the people have the power to "throw off" a tyrannical government and "to provide new Guards for their future security." In a society in which a substantial portion of the citizenry are armed, the opportunities for state oppression are inherently limited. 

2) On the second point, guns provide a physical and mental protection against threat. As a physical tool, firearms can provide a trained individual with the ability to counter threats that would in a purely body-body fight be insurmountable. Example - an elderly citizen living in a high crime neighborhood who is ambushed by three gang members. The positive psychological impact of this capability can be profound. I often tell friends in the UK that they need to analyze the fear that some vulnerable Britons feel living in high crime neighborhoods without any adequate means of protection. It was noticeable that during the London riots last year, many business owners lost everything because in the absence of police resources, those business owners had no means for protecting their property. Anyone who doubts that guns have a serious physical impact on crime should search for "self-defense" on google news every so often.

3) On the third point, many Americans enjoy utilizing the vast outdoors for the purposes of hunting, sport shooting and decoration (go to rural Texas). These events are far more than simple games. Instead, for many Americans, these activities are a celebration of American frontier history and of individual freedom. The freedom to lawfully pursue actions that provide deep, personal satisfaction.

Gun opponents often point to the level of violent crime in the United States as a reason why guns should be further restricted. I disagree. Aside from the above three points, the loosening of gun restrictions over the past thirty years has not lead to an increase in violent crime- the opposite in fact. I believe that violent crime is best countered by aggressive enforcement of existing laws - RICO, felon possession firearm etc. Further, gun opponents often fail to reconcile their anger about events like that last week in Colorado, with the fact that similar situations occur all over the world. Including in states that have highly restrictive gun laws. My personal opinion is that gun laws should largely be local. If New Yorkers want to restrict the right to bear arms to the home, then that is their choice. If Texans want to be able to walk around with AK-47s, that is also their choice. I support the finding of the Supreme Court that there is an incorporated right for all Americans to possess hand guns in their own homes. Beyond this, in my opinion state democracy should triumph.

Terrorist Attacks in Iraq

Today's terrorist attacks against the people of Iraq are a reminder that the fight for stability in that country is not over. The attacks also illustrate the degree to which the Islamist insurgency (who are responsible for these attacks) has always (at least in strategic terms) been divorced from the nationalist rooted insurgency (which sought the withdrawal of Coalition forces from Iraq). Much of the post-war violence in Iraq in the 2006- period onwards was due to the Islamist groups rather than Nationalist.

From my perspective, the current terrorist attacks are indicative of a resurgent Islamic State of Iraq (Sunni terrorist alliance). The group has a central two-fold focus- 1) To re-instigate a civil war between Iraqi Sunnis and Shia. 2) To use the ensuing chaos in order to form a Sunni caliphate in at least part of Iraq.

While Iraqi security forces have improved dramatically over the past few years, they still require extensive support in terms of logistics and intelligence. The United States must stand ready to provide this assistance where more is needed. We must also continue to pressure Iraqi Parliamentarians to find compromise with each other wherever possible. In addition, Prime Minister Maliki (Dawa) still retains far too much executive control over elite security units and too little interest in reconciliation with the Iraqiya block. The United States must work hard to address this problem.

Radio -- (+ Sports Video)

I will be on LBC 97.3 tomorrow morning to discuss the Aurora shooting.

On a happier note- today's sports video features the top 10 in sport one liners (courtesy of ESPN)

Sports Video of the Day

Collection of Touchdowns. Sorry about the music.

Aurora, Colorado Shooting

The shooting incident in Aurora, Colorado is very sad news. Aurora is a tough neighborhood but this is a terrible loss.

Latest Daily Caller op/ed

My new piece for the Daily Caller. Republicans must speak out against casual attacks on our Muslim fellow citizens