Dateline Defense: The Divergent Interests in the Syrian Cauldron

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
May 22, 2013 | ABC News Channel 8 "Capital Insider"

In recent weeks, Vladimir Putin hosted successive delegations of foreign leaders from Secretary of State John Kerry, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. With Moscow as the new address to find a solution to the Syrian civil war, what are the likely scenarios that will play out in the Middle East? Matthew RJ Brodsky joins Morris Jones on "Capital Insider" for a wide-ranging interview touching on Russia, Syria, Iran, Hezbollah, the United States, and Israel's interests in the Syria cauldron.

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Tension on the Syrian-Israeli Border

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
May 21, 2013 | CCTV News

Matthew RJ Brodsky appears on CCTV News where he describes Hezbollah's growing role in the Syrian civil war and Israel's rationale for preventing the transfer of more sophisticated weapons to the terrorist group. He explains how Russia and Iran continue to be the Assad regime's chief weapons supplier with Hezbollah being the regime's main provider of manpower. It is in Iran's interest to make sure that as many high-quality surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles are in Hezbollah's possession if Assad falls from power. He goes on to say that the Geneva 2 conference to be held in June under U.S. and Russian sponsorship represents a rolling back of America's previously articulated foreign policy that stated Assad must "step aside" and that the conference is unlikely to end the conflict.

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Washington's Equivocation on Syria

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
April 30, 2013 | Secure Freedom Radio / The Frank Gaffney Show

Matthew RJ Brodsky was a guest on Secure Freedom Radio's Frank Gaffney Show where he and guest host, Jim Hanson of BlackFive.net discussed the dangers of the U.S. appearing weak-willed in response to Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons. Brodsky explained that Obama administration has lacked a coherent policy and strategy and that has put the U.S. in a bad position where most options are bad options. The result is that American credibility in conducting foreign policy is at risk.

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Dateline Defense: The Obama Administration's Red Line with Syria

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
April 29, 2013 | ABC News Channel 8 "Capital Insider"

Matthew RJ Brodsky was a guest on "Capital Insider" with Morris Jones to discuss the Obama administration's red line with Syria. Topics included the latest intelligence assessments from the United States and Israel; why the administration appears to be walking back its commitment to a red line and; the lack of good choices available to U.S. policymakers as the civil war continues beyond its second year.

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The Syria Crisis: Should the U.S. Get Involved?

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
April 26, 2013 | CCTV America

Matthew RJ Brodsky and Brian Becker, the National Director of the Act Now to Stop War and Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R) Coalition had a contentious debate on CCTV America, hosted by Anand Naidoo. The topic was what the new revelations on the use of chemical weapons in Syria means for U.S. policy. They also offered insight on what the next steps could be for the United States.

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Secretary John Kerry Sets Off for Multi-Stop Diplomatic Trip

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
April 7, 2013 | CCTV America

Matthew RJ Brodsky was interviewed as a part of Emily Drew's CCTV America segment on Secretary of State John Kerry's trip to the Middle East. He explains the importance of coordinating U.S. policy toward Syria with Turkey.

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Dateline Defense: Will Obama's Trip to Israel Produce any Tangible Results?

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
March 20, 2013 | ABC News Channel 8 "Capital Insider"

Matthew RJ Brodsky joins Capital Insider host, Morris Jones, for a discussion on Barack Obama's first trip to Israel as the U.S. President. Brodsky explains that in this visit of low expectations the peace process will remain on the back burner. In the public dimension of the trip, Obama will visit places that are significant to Israelis, such as Mount Herzl, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and an Iron Dome missile defense battery. But more important will be the private dimension of the trip where President Obama will work to mend his personal relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu. Brodsky explains that behind the scenes, coming to an agreement on what constitutes a red line in Iran's nuclear progress, defining what prevention means to each of the leaders, and seeing eye to eye on Syria and the dangers that lie ahead will be paramount for the two leaders.

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Iran's Nuclear Progress and U.S. Policy

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
March 17, 2013 | The Inside Scoop with Mark Levine on WPWC AM1480

Matthew RJ Brodsky was a guest on Mark Levine's radio show, "The Inside Scoop," on AM 1480 in Washington, DC where he discussed the current negotiating impasse with Iran. How close is Tehran to developing a nuclear weapon? Should we be concerned and if so, what should we do? Negotiations, sanctions, threaten an attack, carry one out? Mark Levine assembled a panel of experts to address these questions and more. The two-hour radio show included Dr. Alex Vatanka from the Middle East Institute, Jamal Abdi from the National Iranian American Council, and Joe Costa from the Truman National Security Project. In this half-hour segment featuring Brodsky, he explains that the U.S. is conducting it's Iran policy "with one arm tied behind our back. There's no reason we can't have sanctions and diplomacy but at the same time have a credible threat of military force. And right now that threat is not credible."

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Middle East Foreign Policy Continues to Challenge the U.S

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
February 9, 2013 | CCTV America

Matthew RJ Brodsky was interviewed as a part of Emily Drew's CCTV America segment on Barack Obama's upcoming and first trip to Israel as president. Also interviewed and setting the wider context for the visit are Israeli spokesman Mark Regev and Jadaliyya co-editor Hesham Sallam. Brodsky explains that perhaps President Obama has learned that major progress on the Palestinian-Israeli peace track may not be possible at the moment but coming to agreement on the path forward vis-a-vis Iran is paramount.

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The Bungling of Benghazi

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
February 8, 2013 | The Chris Plante Show

Matthew RJ Brodsky discusses the implications of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey's February 7 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the Chris Plante Show. Along with JD Hayworth, Brodsky describes how the response to the 9/11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya "was a cover-up and a complete failure across the board" at the highest levels of the Obama administration. He also compares their testimony to that of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's on January 23 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and questions why Panetta and Clinton did not speak with each other during the 7-hour attack. Brodsky explains that despite Panetta's contention that they had no specific intelligence regarding an attack on the Benghazi consulate, there was more than enough warnings including Ambassador Stevens' cables a month earlier that said the security situation was inadequate. "Very clearly we know from Panetta and Dempsey yesterday that they were very much aware it was an attack and they knew that in the meeting with the President."

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Dateline Defense: The Impact of Israel's Election on U.S. Foreign Policy

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
January 29, 2013 | ABC News Channel 8 "Capital Insider"

Matthew RJ Brodsky joins Capital Insider host, Morris Jones, for an in-depth interview on the impact of Israel's election on U.S. foreign policy. Brodsky profiles the new rising Israeli political stars, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett and explores the role that the peace process and Iran's nuclear program played among voters. He also explains how Netanyahu and his coalition choices may affect the U.S.-Israeli relationship.

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Election Night in Israel: New Signs in the U.S.-Israeli Relationship

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
January 22, 2013 | CCTV America

As the last ballots in the Israeli elections were being counted, Matthew RJ Brodsky joined CCTV America anchor, Mike Walters live from Phoenix to discuss the election results, Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition building options, and the future of the U.S.-Israeli relationship in the wake of President Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel and John Kerry to the posts of Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State.

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How Durable is the Hamas-Israel Ceasefire?

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
November 23, 2012 | CCTV News

Matthew RJ Brodsky appears on CCTV with Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, Adel Iskandar. Hosted by Anand Naidoo, they discuss the durability of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire. Brodsky describes the key objectives Israel reached during Operation Pillar of Defense and defends Israel's right to target Hamas' rocket launchers, smuggling tunnels, and terrorist leadership. He believes that the operation will likely be a short-term fix. Iskandar explains how Hamas has emerged stronger and less isolated than before and further focuses on Israeli public relations and semantics. Iskander believes that, "the heroes for one group are the freedom fighters for another," while Brodsky counters, saying that, "someone who blows themselves up on a bus or launches rockets cannot be considered a freedom fighter. [They're] considered a terrorist." A contentious debate ensues.

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Foreign Policy After the Elections

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
November 7, 2012 | ABC News Channel 8 "Morning Report"

JPC's Director of Policy Matthew RJ Brodsky appears on ABC News Channel 8 to discuss American foreign policy after the presidential elections. Topics include President Obama's back channel to the Iranian regime, what it means for U.S. and Israeli red lines for Iranian nuclear progress, the terrorist attack in Benghazi, and reports that Ambassador Stevens was helping to secure Libyan weapons for Syria's opposition in their 19-month long civil war.

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What Will Be the Top Foreign Policy Priorities for the Next U.S. President?

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
October 28, 2012 | CCTV: The Heat

CCTV's The Heat hosts Matthew RJ Brodsky and Daniel McCarthy, editor of The American Conservative and former Ron Paul campaign operative, to discuss the top overseas priorities for the next U.S. president following their final debate on foreign policy. They discuss the areas of agreement and disagreement among the two candidates and debate the extent to which Iran is a threat, the effectiveness of economic sanctions, and their approach to the Middle East.

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The Foreign Policy Questions That Should Be Asked During the Debate

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
October 16, 2012 | The Chris Plante Show

Matthew RJ Brodsky discusses the foreign policy questions that should be asked during the Presidential debate on The Chris Plante Show.

Is Israel about to Bomb Iran?

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
September 15, 2012 | "Dimitri Live" NewsRadio 1020 KDKA, Pittsburgh, PA

Matthew RJ Brodsky on Pittsburgh's NewsRadio 1020 KDKA discusses Israeli and American red lines on Iran's nuclear program and whether the Obama administration would support an Israeli strike. He explains how the White House has been directionless and dangerous in terms of its Middle East policy.

The 9/11 Anniversary Attacks in Libya and Egypt

by Matthew RJ Brodsky
September 12, 2012 | ABC News Channel 8 "Afternoon Report"

A day after the 9/11 anniversary attacks in the Middle East, Matthew RJ Brodsky appears on "Afternoon Report" and discusses the state-sanctioned demonstrations in Egypt, and the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. He downplays the role of the YouTube video that depicts Muhammad on the demonstrations, questions why the Libyan security situation was unacceptable, and explained how this would impact Middle East politics. He also discusses Israeli red lines when it comes to Iran's nuclear program and deflects the idea that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to insert himself in American politics by overtly supporting Mitt Romney's candidacy.

The DNC Platform Debacle Over Jerusalem

September 6, 2012 | The Chris Plante Show

Matthew RJ Brodsky discusses the initial implications of the Democratic National Committee's decision to remove language from their party platform that: describes Jerusalem as Israel's capital; calls for Palestinian refugees to be settled in a Palestinian state rather than Israel; calls on the Quartet to isolate Hamas and; describes Israel as America's strongest ally in the region on The Chris Plante Show. Brodsky also explains that the floor vote to reintroduce the language on Jerusalem does not go far enough.

Egyptian Military Moves in the Sinai

August 28, 2012 | Secure Freedom Radio / The Frank Gaffney Show

Shoshana Bryen with Fred Grandy on Secure Freedom Radio. Israel agreed to the entry of Egyptian forces into the Sinai after a terrorist attack; the hard part will be getting them out again and the US-led MFO appears to be supporting the Egyptians.

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JPC Senior Director Bryen Addresses Variety of Audiences

December 5, 2012 at 12:20 pm

JPC Senior Director Shoshana Bryen addressed varied audiences in November and December, focusing attention on Iran, Syria, the implications of the Arab revolution and the need for carefully calibrated U.S. policy to help America's friends and thwart its adversaries.

Jewish Council for Public Affairs – NY

At a meeting of the JCPA Board of Governors, Bryen shared a panel with Tamara Wittes of the Brookings Institution to address the foreign policy issues that will face the president and the country in 2013. Bryen focused her remarks on the nature of America's primary adversaries – Iran, al Qaeda and China – across dimensions of time and space.

Beginning with the observation that the United States has ceased to use the military as a blunt instrument, she explained that the U.S. military has become an element of American diplomacy designed to change minds and/or behavior. The door is always open for negotiation, including to the Taliban and the Muslim Brotherhood. The civilian population has become the object of intense and expensive American courtship. Adversaries of the U.S. and the West do not see themselves limited by time or territory, though they have more of both than we do and they do not see defeat in either sphere as definitive. Sometimes losing a war is just prelude to the next war, something with which Israel has become familiar.

Read more by Shoshana Bryen on this subject: http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/3505/changing-the-battlefield

Atlanta RJC

Bryen addressed a meeting of the Atlanta Chapter of the RJC in November, shortly after the election. The topic was "Threats from the Arab Revolution," focused on the increasingly dictatorial government of Mohammed Morsi in Egypt, the increase in Hamas rocket activity, and role of Iran.

Read more by Shoshana Bryen on Egypt: http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/3348/us-security-interests-in-egypt and http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/3309/egypt-fully-remilitarizing-sinai-with-us-help

Jewish Federation General Assembly – Baltimore

Sharing a panel on Iran sanctions with Ambassador Baruch Binah of the Israeli Embassy and Ambassador Stuart Eisenstadt, Bryen made the case that there is no track record of countries altering their behavior because of international sanctions. Instead, Western sanctions inevitably fall most heavily on the people who lack political protection – civilians rather than their governments. In Iraq, North Korea and Cuba, civilians paid heavily for Western sanctions, but in no case did the government change its international behavior. Iran has passed the point where even effective sanctions could stop its acquisition of nuclear-related technology, and the increased sanctions currently proposed by the U.S. and its international partners are more along the lines of punishment for the civilian population.

Furthermore, estimates are that Iran still has enough in reserves to remain solvent until mid-2014; well after Tehran could cross Prime Minister Netanyahu's "red line." According to sanctions authority Mark Dubowitz, even if Iran's petroleum exports decline from 2.5 million barrels a day in 2012 to 1 million barrels a day next year, the government would still accrue about $37 billion in revenue.

Read more by Shoshana Bryen on this subject: http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/3542/what-to-do-with-sanctions

Restoration Weekend – Palm Beach, FL

At Restoration Weekend, a conservative gathering sponsored by the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Bryen moderated a panel entitled, "Middle East Winter: The Muslim Brotherhood Takes Over."

Joined by Professor Daniel Pipes, Daniel Doron and Andrew McCarthy, she opened the panel by addressing the American propensity to find something familiar when faced with massive change. In the case of the Arab upheaval, an unfortunate analogy was made to the Prague Spring and the relatively peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Empire and communism. The Middle East, however, is experiencing something different – the pulling apart of the boundaries and societies stitched together primarily by the French and British Colonial Offices in the aftermath of World War I. This experience itself was preceded by thousands of years of occupation and colonial rule by Ottomans, Crusaders, Byzantines, Romans, etc.

The two years spent trying to fit the Arab experience into the European model were wasted in terms of arriving at policies that could help in a transition to more modern governance in the region and enhanced the role of the Moslem Brotherhood and other religiously based group.

Center for Security Policy – Washington, DC

In a meeting on Capitol Hill, Bryen discussed both the impetus for Israel's attack on Gaza and the reasons the Israeli government chose not to engage in a ground war there. Operation Pillar of Defense was not only retaliation for Hamas rocket fire. The attack was a response to the discovery that Hamas had acquired perhaps 100 Iranian Fajr-5 rockets. These are the same type of rockets destroyed in a Sudanese weapons factory in October, and their presence in Gaza was unacceptable to Israel.

Hamas tried desperately to lure Israeli troops into Gaza. But Israel, having limited objectives in Gaza, was able to successfully carry them out without taking the bait. Israel, in the meantime, took measured steps to protect its people and eliminate the next threat. It conducted an almost flawless mobilization nearly ten times greater than the troubled one during the 2006 Hezbollah war. It successfully tested the most advanced anti-missile system in the world. It showed the limitations of Egyptian and Hezbollah support for Hamas and the limitations of Iranian "help" as well. Without subjecting the IDF to a ground invasion of Gaza.

Read more by Shoshana Bryen on this subject: http://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/3711/because-they-could

Bryen on Panel at RJC Leadership Meeting

October 13, 2012 at 11:23 am
Washington, DC

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JPC Senior Director Shoshana Bryen participated in a panel with Middle East analysts Lee Smith and Danielle Pletka during the RJC Leadership Meeting in Washington on 13 October. Smith, author of the book The Strong Horse and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, described the evolution of the Muslim Brotherhood across the region, including its role in the Syrian uprising. Pletka, vice-president for foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, offered policy prescriptions for Western diplomacy in the region. Shoshana focused on the nature of America's adversaries across time and across space, concluding that the U.S. is ill-placed to defend itself, its allies and its interests in the region.

Corruption, Money, Sex, and Humiliation: The "Arab Spring" in Four Words

May 22, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Holiday Inn North Shore
Skokie, Illinois

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JPC Senior Director Shoshana Bryen spoke to an RJC meeting in Skokie, Illinois on the subject of The Arab Revolution in Four Words: Corruption, Money, Sex, and Humiliation. Her presentation included a discussion on the roots of the Arab revolutions, why Islamist regimes are replacing dictators throughout the region, and what diplomatic relations the United States should pursue with these new regimes. She credited the beginnings of the Arab revolutions to "the rise of educated and ambitious young people". On why the voters in the Middle East are replacing their old despotic rulers with new, religious ones, she said, "The best organized groups… are Islamist. The people face the likelihood of radical Islamist government—whether they want it or not—because free elections favor the organized". On what course of action the United States should take against the Islamist governments, she recommended, "To ensure that those governments know we don't approve of what they do…they should be treated like we treated the Soviet Union—as an abhorrent system of governance—and we should publicize and work to ameliorate the condition of the people. During the Cold War, we were good at the distinction between the people and their government. 'Making nice' to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas tells the people, 'We are interested in your leaders regardless of what they do to you.'"

The Arab Upheaval: Spring or Winter for America and Israel?

October 30, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Beth Hillel Congregation Bnai Emunah
Chicago, Illinois

Moderator: Michael Medved
Panelists: Richard Baehr, Caroline Glick, and Cliff May
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American Thinker co-founder Richard Baehr, The Jerusalem Post deputy managing editor Caroline Glick, and Foundation for Defense of Democracies president Cliff May convened for a JPC panel in Chicago titled "The Arab Upheaval: Spring or Winter for America and Israel?" The panelists discussed the uprising's ramifications for the United States and Israel. U.S. policy towards Islamism was also discussed. On post-revolution Egypt's relations with the United States and Israel, Glick said, "Bringing down Mubarak was one of the most horrific moves by an American president because...what he is doing is releasing the furies. [Egypt has a] military the likes of which Israel never saw on a battlefield…". She added, "[Egypt] was a pillar to the American alliance structure in the Arab World and it is gone." The Syrian uprising was also discussed, and May stated, "Syria is the bridge that Iran has into the Arab World. Syria has been the host of Hamas [and] the enabler of Hezbollah. If Asad falls, it will be very consequential and very useful and very good". Turkey was discussed during the conversation regarding handling Islamist regimes. According to Baehr, "[President Obama's] view is that Turkey is a member of NATO [and has] free elections. I think [Obama is] pretty clueless about where Erdogan is taking Turkey. The view that he will be an American agent and represent American interests is misguided."

9/11 A Decade Later: Lessons Learned and Future Challenges

September 8, 2011 at 8:00 pm
92nd Street Y
New York, NY

Moderator: Michael Medved
Panelists: Donald Rumsfeld, Ari Fleischer, and Michael Mukasey
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Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, and former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer convened for a JPC panel in commemoration of the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The panelists discussed their experiences on September 11, 2001, their perspectives on terrorism, and their perceptions of the Bush and Obama administrations' approach to the war on terror and diplomatic relations with the Middle East. According to Rumsfeld, "The president made a conscious decision [after the attacks] that the task was really not to retaliate—it wasn't to punish—it was to protect the American people…[by] put[ting] pressure on terrorists on a sustained basis". On the current White House's counterterrorism efforts, Fleischer noted that President Obama has "continued many of the very tough anti-terrorist tactics that George Bush put into place that he criticized Bush during the campaign for." To those who decry the U.S. as meddlers, Mukasey said, "We are first at the scene of every emergency, every natural disaster, without expecting any thanks—which is a good thing because we don't get any. The only territory we've conquered in any of those escapades has been the gravesites necessary to bury American troops who died in protecting freedom."

Securing America's Future

September 26, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Saban Theatre
Los Angeles, California

Moderator: Michael Medved
Panelists: David Horowitz, Cliff May, and Mona Charen
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Freedom Center president David Horowitz, Foundation for Defense of Democracies president Cliff May, and columnist and author Mona Charen convened for a JPC panel in Beverly Hills to discuss the topic, "Securing America's Future." The conversation touched upon the Islamist war on Western civilization, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and President Obama's domestic policies, among other issues. May implied that the U.S. could secure its future by reducing its dependence on oil: "Why is there so much power in Saudi Arabia and Iran? Because of oil…so long as we're addicted to oil and so long as they have most of it in the world we are in a difficult situation." On Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Horowitz said, "The Palestinians want to destroy the State of Israel and to push the Jews into the sea…the only way there is going to be peace in the Middle East is if Israel and the United States will stand down the Palestinians." On the Obama administration, Charen noted, "We have witnessed over the last 18 months an experiment with unrestrained liberalism, with the Left-wing of the Democratic Party being able to enact its wish list [including] more spending…more government programs, [and] nationalized health insurance."

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