Tunisia was not for the United States an important country in the way, let’s say, Algeria was because of its gas, because of its size, because of its struggle against terrorism that sometimes turned bloody. Elliott Abrams Read Quote
Huge numbers of embassy cables are labeled ‘unclassified’ or ‘limited official use’ and deal with mundane matters. Elliott Abrams Read Quote
In most cases, cables are marked secret not because the U.S. requires it but because those speaking to us – the foreign leaders across the table – do. They are not keeping secrets from us, but from two other groups: their enemies and their subjects. Elliott Abrams Read Quote
Terrorism exploded after the Camp David talks broke down in 2000 because the Palestinians’ leader at the time, Yasser Arafat, supported it. Elliott Abrams Read Quote
Being an Arab leader has its rewards: the suite at the Waldorf-Astoria during the United Nations General Assembly, travel in your own plane, plenty of cash, even job security – whether kings, sheiks or presidents, with or without elections, most serve for life. Elliott Abrams Read Quote
The Arab view that someone should bomb Iran and stop it from developing nuclear weapons is familiar to anyone who meets privately with Arab leaders, especially in the Gulf. Elliott Abrams Read Quote
The Erdogan government’s first major step outside of the U.S. alliance was during the Bush Administration, when it wouldn’t let Washington use Turkey as a launching ground for U.S. troops entering Iraq in 2003. Elliott Abrams Read Quote
