Clifford D. May
Columns by Clifford D. May
CLIFFORD MAY: West needs more determination to defeat Islamic State
"The enemy has to be defeated," U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter last week told American forces stationed in the Middle East. That is a simple truth, one that, regrettably, is not heard often from officials in the current administration. Mr. Carter then added: "It will be, because the barbarians are always defeated by civilization." That is a comforting sentiment -- one that, regrettably, is not supported by historical evidence. Published July 28, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Scuttle Obama’s Iran deal, or surrender
The fundamental flaws in President Obama's deal with Iran have become well known. Among them: Iran's rulers will have the power to delay or even prevent inspections of suspected nuclear weapons facilities; Iran's rulers will receive tens of billions of dollars that they can spend as they please, including on terrorist groups; Iran's rulers will have several paths to nuclear weapons -- they have promised only not to rush. In the past, such promises have hardly been ironclad. Published July 21, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Iran’s deal of the century
On Friday, large crowds in Tehran and other Iranian cities burned American flags and chanted "Death to America!" On Saturday, Iranian media outlets reported that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had instructed university students to "continue the struggle against arrogant powers" -- with the United States at the top of that list. On Tuesday, President Obama announced a historic agreement between Iran and the United States. Published July 14, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: U.S. can’t appease Iran
Imagine if, on Sept. 12, 2001, I had written a column predicting that within less than 15 years, the president of the United States would be offering the world's leading sponsor of terrorism a path to nuclear weapons and tens of billions of dollars. You'd have thought me a lunatic. But that's what President Obama means to do. Published July 7, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Palestinians and an Israeli discuss the West Bank
Last week, I paid a couple of visits to the West Bank or, as Israel's enemies call it, "the illegally occupied Palestinian territories." Israelis who live and work there are more likely to use the biblical name: Judea and Samaria. Published June 30, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Deadlines worsen the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
JERUSALEM - The "peace process" between Israelis and Palestinians has ground to a halt. What should American and European leaders do? Try not to make the situation worse. Published June 23, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Obama’s faith in Iran misplaced
Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn served 33 years in the U.S. Army. Being named President Obama's director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012 was the culmination of his career. He thought his job was to relate facts, not fables. It soon became clear that his superiors didn't agree. Published June 16, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Muslim extremist culture glorifies mass murder
You probably didn't know it, but Osama bin Laden was a poet. In fact, according to Yale's Robyn Creswell and Princeton's Bernard Haykel, "Of all jihadi poets, bin Laden was the most celebrated, and he prided himself on his knowledge of the art." Published June 9, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: China, Iran challenge America’s naval dominance
''Creating facts on the ground" means changing reality through actions rather than diplomacy. China's rulers have gone further: Over the last 18 months they have been creating ground: over 2,000 new acres of islands more than 600 miles from China's coast, many built atop rocks and reefs claimed by their neighbors, including the Philippines, an important American ally. In recent days, the Chinese have been installing landing strips, helipads, harbors, radar installations, artillery pieces and other weapons. Published June 2, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Resisting trend toward anti-Semitism
Robert S. Wistrich, who died suddenly last week, was considered the foremost scholar of anti-Semitism, which he called "the longest hatred," one that appears to be metastasizing in the current era. Published May 26, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Gulf state rulers don’t trust Obama
I'd venture to guess that most of what you heard about President Obama's summit last week was wrong. To start, it wasn't a "summit." That term, coined by Winston Churchill, implies a meeting of heads of government. However, the most important Arab leader invited by Mr. Obama, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, stayed home, as did the rulers of the United Arab Emirates and Oman. King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain decided his time could be spent more productively at the Royal Windsor Horse Show outside London. Published May 19, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: No line between free speech and provocative speech
Rights are like muscles. If not exercised, they atrophy. Freedom of speech, a right guaranteed by the First Amendment, is the most fundamental of rights. Without it, how do you even defend your other rights? Published May 12, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: The ‘suave’ manner Mohammad Javad Zarif
Tehran's largest cemetery, Behesht-e Zahra, contains the graves of thousands of Iranians killed in battle. There's also a polished stone monument bearing this inscription: "To the memory of two Muslim Lebanese youths who on the morning of Sunday October 23, 1983, in two simultaneous martyrdom operations, with trucks carrying explosives, attacked the headquarters of American occupiers (in South Beirut) and headquarters of French occupiers (in West Beirut) killing 241 American Marines and 48 French paratroopers. Their names we do not know, but we will continue their path." Published May 5, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Recalling the lessons of Armenia
Displayed outside the Turkish embassy in Washington last week was a large banner reading, "Armenian genocide is an imperialist lie." That claim might be amusing were the subject not so dreadful. Published April 28, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Congress should act on Iran deal
Members of Congress are facing the test of their political lives. America's national security is about to be imperiled. American sovereignty is about to be surrendered. The U.S. Constitution is about to be compromised. Published April 21, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Ayaan Hirsi Ali risks life with call for Islam’s reform
By now, you should be familiar with the name Ayaan Hirsi Ali. You should know at least this much about her: She is brilliant, beautiful, black and she has been banned near Boston. Published April 14, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Obama should not trust Iran
"The West Capitulates." That was the headline on an article by Ibrahim al-Amin, editor of the Lebanese daily al-Akbar. He elaborated: "Victors and vanquished. This is the truth of conflicts in the world since ancient times. Only those who live with their eyes closed believe conflicts end with compromises." Published April 7, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Iran lays plans for a new Persian empire
Three years ago, film-goers were treated to "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen," which critic Kenneth Turan called a "pleasant fantasy" about the Middle East. Today, of course, Yemen is the hub of a bloody conflict, one which President Obama persists in viewing with equal unreality. Published March 31, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Netanyahu rejection of Palestinian state a media distortion
What is it about Israel in general and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in particular that leads to so much careless reporting and tendentious commentary? Published March 24, 2015
CLIFFORD MAY: Obama’s Iran deal no good if not ‘legally binding’
Philosopher-comedian Lily Tomlin used to say, "No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up." Has that ever been truer than it is in Washington right now? Published March 17, 2015
