Clifford D. May

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

CLIFFORD MAY: Dying Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ponders holy mission

The Lord works in mysterious ways. That sentence does not appear in the Koran. Nor, actually, is it found in the Bible. But in recent days it has probably occurred to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader. Published March 10, 2015

CIFFORD MAY: Obama thinks bad Iran deal better than no deal

Remember when President Obama said that to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapons capability, he would keep all options "on the table"? How long has it been since anyone took that warning seriously? Published March 3, 2015

CLIFFORD MAY: Vladimir Putin’s revisionist government

Last week, two Russian long-range bombers skirted the southwest coast of England. British Typhoon warplanes scrambled from their base to "escort" the bombers away. Prime Minister David Cameron accused Moscow of "trying to make some sort a point." Published February 24, 2015

CLIFFORD MAY: Telling the truth about radical Islam won’t offend peaceful Muslims

Is there a "Bush-Obama approach" to talking about what drives and justifies terrorism? Michael Gerson says there is. I think he's right. He argues that this approach is preferable to other options. I think he's wrong. Published February 17, 2015

CLIFFORD MAY: Obama’s secret terrorism strategy accommodates Iran

It seems like only yesterday that President Obama was being criticized for having no strategy to counter the jihadi threat. In fact, it was about 10 days ago. Peggy Noonan's Feb. 1 Wall Street Journal column was headlined: "America's Strategy Deficit." Published February 10, 2015

CLIFFORD MAY: Islamic aggressors posing as victims

There are victims and then there are victims. Too often, I think, we worry about the wrong ones. Published February 3, 2015

CLIFFORD D. MAY: In Argentina, terrorists and gangsters get away with murder

"When heads of state become gangsters, something has to be done." Winston Churchill said that. It's a proposition not many people nowadays endorse. Fewer still take it upon themselves to stand up to the thugs-come-statesmen. Published January 27, 2015

CLIFFORD MAY: Iran and the case for deadline-triggered sanctions

Experienced negotiators know this: The side most willing to walk away from the table generally wins. The side that seems desperate for a deal loses. Yet President Obama is telling the entire world that he needs an agreement with Iran's rulers more than they need an agreement with him. Published January 20, 2015