In the aftermath of the fighting in Gaza, observers as varied as Libyan dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi and former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton have claimed that the "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is dead. Are they right? If so, what's the alternative? If they're wrong, what can the Obama administration do to resurrect the possibility of two states, one Israeli and one Palestinian, living side by side in peace -- and how much time is there left to do it?
-- Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., NationalJournal.com
21 responses: Daniel Serwer, Michael F. Scheuer, Col. W. Patrick Lang, Gordon Adams, Hillary Mann Leverett, Norman R. Augustine, Milt Bearden, Col. W. Patrick Lang, Dov S. Zakheim, Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., Michael F. Scheuer, Richard Hart Sinnreich, Michael F. Scheuer, Gordon Adams, Gordon Adams, Daniel Serwer, Ron Marks, Loren Thompson, Hillary Mann Leverett, Chris Seiple, Daniel Byman
George W. Bush believes the absence of another terrorist attack on the U.S. homeland after 9/11 is perhaps his greatest legacy. What initiatives, actions or programs do you think are most responsible for this success, and which ones should President Obama continue, expand or abandon?
-- James Kitfield, NationalJournal.com
17 responses: Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., James Jay Carafano, Gordon Adams, Milt Bearden, Bruce Hoffman, Stewart Verdery, Dov S. Zakheim, Col. Joseph J. Collins, Daniel Byman, Wayne White, Loren Thompson, Col. W. Patrick Lang, Michael F. Scheuer, Daniel Gouré, Ron Marks, Brian Michael Jenkins, Paul R. Pillar
Keeping Robert Gates as Defense secretary has been widely hailed as a sign of continuity. But are there changes Gates should make once he's not working for George W. Bush and, especially, Donald Rumsfeld's patron, Dick Cheney? Kill the F-22? Shift DoD dollars to State? End the supplemental funding ruse? What changes should he pursue?
-- Corine Hegland, NationalJournal.com
16 responses: Corine Hegland, Andy Krepinevich, Michael F. Scheuer, Stewart Verdery, Dov S. Zakheim, Rachel Kleinfeld, Gordon Adams, Col. Joseph J. Collins, Larry Korb, Kori Schake, Winslow T. Wheeler, James Jay Carafano, Richard Hart Sinnreich, Ron Marks, Loren Thompson, Maj. Gen. Robert Scales
As Israel escalates its efforts to root Hamas and its rocket launchers out of Gaza, the global reaction is increasingly negative -- except in the United States. Washington provides Israel with diplomatic backing, U.N. Security Council vetoes of "anti-Zionist" resolutions, and of course $3 billion a year in military aid. But what does Israel provide in return? Yes, Israel and America cooperate on counterterrorism, but how many of the groups on which Israel provides intelligence would be gunning for the United States if it wasn't supporting Israel? Setting aside for a moment the emotional and religious anchors of the U.S.-Israel alliance, what is its value to the United States in practical, realpolitik terms?
-- Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., NationalJournal.com
15 responses: Michael F. Scheuer, Col. W. Patrick Lang, Michael F. Scheuer, Larry Korb, Daniel Gouré, Kori Schake, Loren Thompson, Paul R. Pillar, Col. Joseph J. Collins, Ron Marks, Michael F. Scheuer, Col. W. Patrick Lang, Bruce Hoffman, Dov S. Zakheim, James Jay Carafano
