Special Ops expanding, Fusion, Afghan negotiations and more

Lots about …Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan

Energy played a big role in last night’s State of the Union address. The word alone appeared a whopping 23 times throughout the speech, compared to 9 mentions the year before. Energy policy was central to the speech, and it will be central to the Administration’s platform this year.

ASP ICYMI – Syria, Iran, Development, Euro Crisis and lots from our blog

There was some good proposals for America’s Economic Competitiveness in the State of the Union, but we must guard against the temptation of a short-term fix that can harm us in the long term.

While we applaud a reaffirmation of American values and the primary place they should have in our role in the world, the reality of American foreign policy is, sadly, not in step with such aspirations. A values-based foreign policy would be an interesting goal to work toward, but it would require threatening too many of American interests, including the fight against al Qaeda, that such talk only serves to set up disappointment, rather than optimism.