research fellow at the Cato Institute
Research Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank in Washington, DC; author of Sandstorm: Policy Failure in the Middle East
PROFILE
Leon Hadar
Guest
FROM Leon Hadar
To the Point
Power, Faith and Fantasy in the Middle East It's easy to think that George W. Bush is the first president to believe that America should have a role in transforming the Muslim Middle East or that 60 years ago Harry S Truman was original in making the establishment of a Jewish state an American objective. But the roots of those actions are as old as the US itself. The early Puritans dreamed of restoring the Jews to Palestine. So did Abraham Lincoln. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington insisted that Muslims should change their principles and ideals. We look at the origins of America's interest in the Middle Eat and how 21st Century policies have been shaped by the past. What does history tell us about the likelihood of disengagement from that troubled region at any time in the future?
Recommended
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?