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Pressure Points

Elliott Abrams discusses U.S. foreign policy, focusing on the Middle East and democracy and human rights.

Latest Post

That Old Time Religion: The G-7 Foreign Ministers' Statement on the West Bank

The G-7 foreign ministers' statement on the West Bank follows some old lines about the legitimacy of settlements, but ignores the issue of payments to reward terror. Read More

U.S. Foreign Policy
U.S. Diplomacy in the Middle East: "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?"
U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East seems unaware of how U.S. power should be deployed to decrease the chances of war and to support U.S. allies.
Venezuela
The United States and the Venezuelan Election
Every sign suggests that Venezuela's presidential election on July 28 will be stolen. Will the Biden administration then acknowledge that its policy toward Venezuela has failed--and change it?
Israel
Visiting Israel, June 2024
In a visit in June, I found a somber mood and many doubts about the current national leadership.
  • Qatar
    Why All the Criticism of Qatar?
    Qatari-owned "news" media like Al Jazeera and Al-Quds Al-Arabi are not independent news sources, and continue to show deep hostility to the United States in their biased reporting.
  • Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Program
    At the Community of Democracies Meeting, the Biden Administration Downgraded Its Support for Democracy
    By sending an acting deputy assistant secretary of state to represent the United States at the recent Community of Democracies meeting that the United States chaired, the Biden administration showed a lack of commitment to democracy.
  • Venezuela
    Will the United States Boost Maduro in Venezuela’s Election?
    A forced sale of CITGO oil company just days before Venezuela's July 28 presidential election would be a propaganda bonanza for the Maduro regime, and should be delayed by the United States government.
  • Diplomacy and International Institutions
    International Criminal Court Prosecutor Threatens United States Senators
    The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has threatened 12 United States senators for their criticisms of his effort to arrest Israeli leaders.
  • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    On "Outside Agitators" and Gaza Protests
    Half of those arrested during disruptive Gaza protests on U.S. campuses were not students or faculty members. 
  • Terrorism and Counterterrorism
    The Spanish Inquisition, Part Two
    Spain, a country where antisemitic attitudes are the highest in Western Europe, is taking the lead in trying to deprive Israel of the arms it needs to defend itself.
  • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    UN Halves Its Estimate of Women and Children Killed in Gaza
    Between May 6 and May 8, the UN cut in half its estimates of the number of women and children killed in Gaza. The estimates were based on Hamas numbers and are a reminder that all fatality estimates coming from that source are unreliable.