washingtonpost.com - David Ignatius -- Washington Post Columnist (washingtonpost.com)David Ignatius writes about international affairs and U.S. foreign policy for The Washington Post op-ed page.The View From the Eye of the Storm- July 18, 2008 Henry Paulson was in shirt sleeves yesterday afternoon in his office at the Treasury Department, tie loose at the collar, feet propped up on the coffee table. Behind his desk, Bloomberg screens were blinking out instant price quotations from the turbulent financial markets, but Paulson wasn't focused on the short term for a change. He was discussing the long-term structural reforms he hopes will bring greater stability.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/17/AR2008071702406.html?nav=r... Bailing Hard and Getting Soaked- July 16, 2008 What are we taxpayers getting for our money as we bail out the geniuses who have run some of our leading financial institutions into the ground The Treasury is extending a reported $300 billion line of credit to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but what do we receive in returnhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/15/AR2008071502423.html?nav=r... An Army That Learns- July 13, 2008 The U.S. Army has done something remarkable in its new history of the disastrous first 18 months of the American occupation of Iraq: It has conducted a rigorous self-critique of how bad decisions were made, so that the Army won't make them again.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071102548.html?nav=r... Tehran's Definite 'Maybe'- July 10, 2008 NEW YORK -- Even in midsummer, Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, wears the three-piece suit of a traditional diplomat. But faithful to the dress code of the Iranian revolution, he doesn't wear a necktie. That mix of symbols is a good snapshot of Iran's hard-and-soft foreign policy these days.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/09/AR2008070901935.html?nav=r... Obama: Strength Out of Weakness- July 6, 2008 During the July 4th week, Barack Obama did something that's becoming characteristic of his campaign: He took an issue on which he appeared to be vulnerable -- in this case the cluster of themes lumped together as "patriotism" -- and by going on the offensive in a powerful speech, he subtly changed the terms of the debate.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/04/AR2008070402087.html?nav=r... Spy Games in Iran- July 2, 2008 NEW YORK -- In the new cold war between America and Iran, the United States appears to be running some limited covert operations across the Iranian border. But according to knowledgeable sources, this effort shares the defect of broader U.S. policy toward Iran -- it is tentative and ill-coordinated, and it undermines diplomacy without bringing serious pressure on the regime.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/01/AR2008070102231.html?nav=r... |