As Obama prepares to begin the last year of his presidency, he stands in an unusual position on the national stage: He is the rationalist, a creature of intellect rather than emotion. David Ignatius Read Quote
Politicians often call for sanctions as a way of sounding tough when they don’t want to take riskier measures. David Ignatius Read Quote
Yes, Europe needs to be more welcoming, but that’s only half of it. Muslims need to embrace the obligations of European residence and citizenship. David Ignatius Read Quote
European Muslims need to feel ownership of security, rather than viewing the police as an occupying army. David Ignatius Read Quote
The value of catastrophic events is that they can help people face up to problems that are otherwise impossible to address. David Ignatius Read Quote
Experts say that Britain and France have strong spy agencies; Germany’s is competent but afraid to level with its public; the rest are relatively weak, and there is no Europe-wide spy agency. David Ignatius Read Quote
Apple chief executive Tim Cook is such a respected figure that it’s easy to overlook the basic problem with his argument about encryption: Cook is asserting that a private company and the interests of its customers should prevail over the public’s interest as expressed by our courts. David Ignatius Read Quote
Paradoxically, the United States’ determination to protect its troops can be self-defeating. Allies and adversaries see U.S. forces living in secure compounds, eating fancy chow and minimizing their exposure to potential terrorist assaults. David Ignatius Read Quote
American politics, like most things, is a story of what statisticians describe as the reversion to the mean. David Ignatius Read Quote
Saudi Arabia is a frightened monarchy. It’s beset by Sunni extremists from the Islamic State and Shiite extremists backed by Iran. David Ignatius Read Quote
