Lee Smith is a senior editor at the Weekly Standard, a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and the author of The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations.

The Hitler Test

The strongest evidence that the taboo against anti-Semitism is being eroded is the fact that obvious forms of verbal abuse are tolerated—even justified

Rationale

The question policy-makers should focus on isn’t whether Iran would use a nuclear weapon, but how a bomb would embolden an already reckless regime

Minority Interest

Lebanon’s Maronites, threatened by Sunni power, will be the bellwether of the Mideast’s Christians. Could they face the same fate as the region’s Jews?

Useful Fiction

Newt Gingrich says the Palestinians are an “invented people.” They are, like many others in the Middle East. It’s a useful myth the U.S. must support.

Lax Americana

The U.S. could stop Iran from going nuclear. But policy-makers won’t risk the repercussions of a devastating attack on the Islamic Republic.

Fallible

Infiltrated by up to a dozen CIA spies, Hezbollah, the official party of God, is taking hits to its prestige—and revealing its weakness

Split Ends

Rather than focusing on the goal of removing Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria, the White House is busy worrying about the fractured nature of the opposition

Grand Strategy

Contrary to Washington wisdom, Israel is a clear strategic asset to the United States, says a new study by a bipartisan pair of veteran diplomats

Eclipsed

U.S. policymakers fear a “Shia crescent,” a regional alliance led by Iran. A dawning “Muslim Brotherhood crescent” is far more threatening.

Mob Tactics

Egypt captured Israeli-American Ilan Grapel to generate popular support among the volatile anti-Western middle class at home