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Bibi’s downfall: Is the most dangerous man in the Middle East done for?

Bibi’s downfall: Is the most dangerous man in the Middle East done for?

February 18, 2018 · by Patrick Lawrence · in Articles, Salon

Benjamin Netanyahu has set Israel, and the entire Middle East, on a path toward doomsday. Will his fall matter? The political future of Benjamin Netanyahu is at last in doubt. With the Israeli police report recommending criminal charges against the…

A Conversation With Richard Falk

January 19, 2018 · by Patrick Lawrence · in Articles, The Nation.

The scholar, adviser to governments and civil-society groups, and advocate of Palestinian rights speaks on international law and world affairs. It is hard to place Richard Falk in any category that usefully describes the man. Princeton scholar, international lawyer, adviser…

Trump and Jerusalem: Will his “hard power” realism backfire bigly?

Trump and Jerusalem: Will his “hard power” realism backfire bigly?

December 10, 2017 · by Patrick Lawrence · in Articles, Salon

Like much of Trump’s foreign policy, the Jerusalem decision recognizes ugly facts about the U.S. role in the world Clarity is preferable to ambiguity even when the clear picture is grim. So I have found in many circumstances, and so…

Trump the Diplomat? Will He Charm or Harm US Relations?

Trump the Diplomat? Will He Charm or Harm US Relations?

May 19, 2017 · by Patrick Smith · in Articles, The Fiscal Times

Whoever put together President Trump’s first foreign tour has a good grasp of the grand gesture. When he departs Friday, his main stops are Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Vatican, making Trump the first U.S. leader to visit the seats…

Meet the Man Who Should Be the Next Secretary of State

Meet the Man Who Should Be the Next Secretary of State

October 14, 2016 · by Patrick Lawrence · in Articles, The Nation.

Former ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chas Freeman is that rare thing, an honest and wise diplomat—which is why he’ll probably never be appointed. Late this past summer, when I mentioned to Andrew Bacevich that I had interviewed Chas Freeman and…

As US Clout in the Mideast Declines, Russia and Iran Muscle In

As US Clout in the Mideast Declines, Russia and Iran Muscle In

August 29, 2016 · by Patrick Smith · in Articles, The Fiscal Times

It has long been clear that the Obama administration will hand its successor a dangerous mess in the Middle East, centering on Syria and emanating outward. Is it now ceding so much initiative that it risks delivering the next president…

Reconstructing the Middle East

Reconstructing the Middle East

June 1, 2016 · by Patrick Lawrence · in Articles, CounterPunch

How Might It Be Done? There is an odd precision attaching to certain key events in the Middle East. Jimmy Carter’s third and final State of the Union address on January 23, 1980, was his “doctrine” speech and set in…

Can Obama’s Successor Sort Out His Middle East Mess?

Can Obama’s Successor Sort Out His Middle East Mess?

May 30, 2016 · by Patrick Smith · in Articles, The Fiscal Times

Whoever goes to the White House in November will have one foreign policy challenge above all others: How to navigate transitions between two of America’s Middle East alliances that daily events are rendering inevitable. On one side of this question…

The Mideast Mess Obama Will Leave Behind

The Mideast Mess Obama Will Leave Behind

April 25, 2016 · by Patrick Smith · in Articles, The Fiscal Times

What a dismal week in the Middle East for the Obama administration. In the course of a couple of days, the partial ceasefire in Syria began to fray, the peace talks in Geneva turned stony, and the Saudis pointedly cold-shouldered…

As reckless as George W. Bush: Hillary Clinton helped create disorder in Iraq, Libya, Syria — and, scarier, doesn’t seem to understand how

As reckless as George W. Bush: Hillary Clinton helped create disorder in Iraq, Libya, Syria — and, scarier, doesn’t seem to understand how

March 13, 2016 · by Patrick L. Smith · in Articles, Salon

American primacy at all cost. That’s her dangerous guiding mission. Only Bush, Nixon loved imperial adventure more As of the voting in various primaries last week and this week, Hillary Rodham Clinton has the surest way to the White House…

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About Patrick Lawrence

Writer, commentator, longtime newspaper and magazine correspondent abroad. Writes often on Europe and Asia. Published five books.

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  • “For Trump, it’s Israel über alles now.” May 18, 2026
  • “Dignity in a West Bank refugee camp.” May 16, 2026

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