Americans have an issue with understanding the Middle East and Islam. It’s natural to expect everyone to behave rationally and to think the same way you do. But that is not the case in the Islamic world. I would have expected some people in government to recognize this by now. President Trump can repeat that … More Here We Go, Again
I was glad to see that the Iran-US talks resumed. I do not expect anything of substance to come from them, but talking is better than shooting. When all this started, several months ago, I noted that aerial bombing, by itself, never won a war. That is still true. In the current case, it allowed … More Talking Again 21 Jun
I have postponed writing this for several days now while my thoughts varied from very cautious optimism to fearful pessimism. The media (on all sides) appears to me to be clueless. Tey select items to support their own point of view and omit others. My own sources remain openly published items, so they obviously are … More Cease Fire thoughts 19 Apr
The Houthis in Yemen made what may have been simply a symbolic gesture when launched 1 missile at Israel. They are also threatening to close the straits at the Southern end of the Red Sea, but the fact that they only fired one missile may indicate that they are not serious about active participation. They … More World events, a personal view – 28 Mar 2026
I was taken by surprise when us president Trump reported that there were going to be negotiations to end the current war. I’m certainly not opposed to the ides, but just how it’s going to play out does include a little bit of worry. I should also add that I was NOT surprised when Iran … More Iran War – 24 Mar
Continuation, The Israeli Home Front Command is beginning to relax some of the rules, possibly an indicator that Iran is less of a threat. This morning prayers were upstairs instead of the more protected lower level, and no limitations on number of participants. Schools are being reopened, not that it means much, because the children … More Iran War 20 Mar
I have a lot of accumulated comments so this may be long. When you choose war as a means of achieving some political objective, you cannot always be sure things will go as planned. This applies to all sides in the current war in Iran. The propaganda and fake news departments on both sides are … More Iran War – 19 Mar 2026
Indian TV pointed out that much media coverage of the current war in Iran is being driven by an effort to make more media viewer points and gain more economically as a result. This appears to be especially true for American coverage. Here are a few items that US media may have overlooked or under-reported … More What I am seeing and hearing – 8 Mar 2026
The Iranian foreign minister came out of the Geneva meeting earlier this week making sounds like there was a real agreement almost ready to sign. It sure did not look that way to me. Iran has kept discussion of missiles and terrorism sponsorship off think the agenda. The Iranian offer includes a lot of “concessions” … More A New Iran War? 20 Feb 2026
Again, before proceeding, a couple of notes: First, Hezbollah has sent 5 drones into Israel in the past few days, only one of which was reported in the news. Second. IDF air strikes that killed a Hamas leader took place in Lebanon, not Gaza. Losing the 1956 Sinai war to Israel did not keep Nasser … More Truce 18 Feb
Wetherhorn 