Russia isn’t likely to have any more military success in Syria and Iraq than has the United States. David Ignatius Read Quote
CIA officers aren’t idiots. They knew they were heading into deep water – legally and morally – when they signed up for the interrogation program. That’s part of the agency’s ethos – doing the hard jobs that other departments prudently avoid. David Ignatius Read Quote
Thanksgiving is America’s favorite holiday because it’s a time when we put aside our cares, much as the struggling Pilgrims did nearly four centuries ago, and eat a gut-busting meal without worrying about the ‘out years.’ David Ignatius Read Quote
What frustrates U.S. officials is that China sometimes seems more comfortable accommodating a strong United States, as it did in past decades, than partnering with an America that’s less dominant. David Ignatius Read Quote
A disaffected America can be drawn into a civilized – but disruptive – dialogue about political change and reformation. David Ignatius Read Quote
Hedge-fund managers make too much money relative to their social utility. I wish their rewards were a bit closer to those of, say, schoolteachers. David Ignatius Read Quote
2011 is one of those years that historians are likely to look back on as a ‘hinge.’ And the truth, at once frightening and exhilarating, is that we don’t know yet which way the door will swing. David Ignatius Read Quote
2011 was a year in which events rarely turned out as predicted, and when much of the world seemed shrouded in turmoil and uncertainty. It was difficult for government analysts back in Washington to know just where they were on the map, let alone where they were heading. David Ignatius Read Quote
At the center of President Obama’s strategy for dealing with the Islamic State is an empty space. It’s supposed be filled by a ‘Sunni ground force,’ but after more than a year of effort, it’s still not there. Unless this gap is filled, Obama’s plan won’t work. David Ignatius Read Quote
Chinese experts noted that the U.S. economy has rebounded from the 2008 crash more strongly than some analysts here had expected, while China’s own growth is slowing after several decades of rocket-ship acceleration. David Ignatius Read Quote
