Clifford D. May

Remember the Battle of Lepanto

Last week, Oct. 7, to be precise, was the 450th anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto. Why should you give a flying fig? Published October 12, 2021

All of the lowlights from the United Nations General Assembly session

Over recent days, foreign leaders, rulers, and tyrants flocked to New York City for the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, also known as UNGA. Did you listen to their speeches? Published October 5, 2021

The Squad loves dead Jews: Support for Hamas implies nothing less

"People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present" is the title of Dara Horn's new book. Published September 28, 2021

Time for U.S. to unfriend Pakistan

Who's to blame for America's humiliating surrender in Afghanistan? We would be remiss to ignore the contributions of others to this historic fiasco. Prominent among them: Pakistan's leaders. Published September 22, 2021

After twenty 9/11 anniversaries, the sleeping giant nods off again

On the first anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks, I wrote a column about a BBC radio program Published September 7, 2021

Taliban call the shots as America’s humiliation continues

"The answer is no." That was the response, on Aug. 24, of Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen to a Sky News reporter who asked if the U.S. might be permitted more time to evacuate American civilians. Published August 31, 2021

President Biden chose the worst options in Afghanistan

You don't need to be a brilliant geopolitical strategist to understand that the United States should be the best friend - and the worst enemy - any nation could have. Published August 17, 2021

Biden’s military strategy for Iraq should be applied in Afghanistan

Biden fails to see that the least-bad option for Iraq is the least-bad option for Afghanistan as well: a small residual force of elite troops to continue training, advising and providing intelligence to the Afghan forces Published August 10, 2021

An open letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

Or is it okay if I call you Ben and Jerry? So, anyhow, I read your op-ed in The New York Times, headlined, "We're Ben and Jerry. Men of Ice Cream, Men of Principle," and I thought you might like - or at least tolerate - a little feedback. Published August 3, 2021

Iran’s crimes and acts of war will continue until Biden responds forcefully

The plot was audacious: Agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran would kidnap an American citizen on American soil. Published July 27, 2021

Problems with world peacekeeping: U.N. does it incompetently, corruptly, and criminally

Cubans have been out in the streets, protesting decades of oppression and poverty. They've been beaten and arrested for - as The New York Times phrased it - "Shouting 'Freedom' and other anti-government slogans." Published July 20, 2021

The return of antisemitism

Antisemitism is back with a vengeance. According to the ADL, acts of assault, vandalism, and harassment against Jews are at the highest level "since ADL's tracking began in 1979." Published July 13, 2021

Russia and China’s conquest of the United Nations

After the 20th century's first great war, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, and other major powers founded the League of Nations. Its primary mission: to keep the peace. It failed, of course. Published July 6, 2021

If critical race theory is correct, is America worth defending?

Why should young people, of whatever color, serve in the armed forces and risk their lives to defend the failed experiment that critical race theory alleges America is and always has been? Published June 29, 2021

Biden blew a chance for a win in his meeting with Putin

Time and again, we fail to understand Russia and its rulers. Back in 1939, Churchill acknowledged that, famously describing Russia as "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Published June 22, 2021

Iran’s nuclear secrets have been exposed

The story begins on a cold night in January 2018 when Israeli agents stealthily broke into a warehouse in southern Tehran where Iran's rulers had stored an archive of their nuclear weapons program. Published June 15, 2021

Leaving Afghanistan

After Sept. 11, 2001, most Americans thought justice and prudence demanded sending troops to Afghanistan to oust the Taliban and extirpate its ally, al Qaeda, the organization that had carried out the most horrific terrorist attacks ever on U.S. soil. Published June 8, 2021