<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>FrontPage Magazine &#187; Fred Gedrich</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/author/fred-gedrich/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2014 07:56:08 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
		<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
		<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	
	<item>
		<title>A New Strategy Needed on North Korea</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/fred-gedrich/a-new-strategy-needed-on-north-korea/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=a-new-strategy-needed-on-north-korea</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/fred-gedrich/a-new-strategy-needed-on-north-korea/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 2013 04:20:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Fred Gedrich]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[missiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[North Korea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nuclear Weapons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[testing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Nations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=178446</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It will take more than words of condemnation to bring the nuclear rogue state to heel. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2013/fred-gedrich/a-new-strategy-needed-on-north-korea/kim-jong-un-2-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-178597"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-178597" title="Kim Jong Un" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/original1-403x350.jpg" alt="" width="242" height="210" /></a>North Korea’s rogue regime recently conducted its third, and most powerful, nuclear test.  Two months earlier it also defied the international community (e.g., United Nations Security Council) by successfully launching a satellite into space on a long-range ballistic missile. This puts the regime closer to having a fully-armed nuclear weapon and missile delivery system and exposes current Obama administration policy toward North Korea as woefully inadequate.  The U.S. urgently needs to adopt new strategies and policies to curb this growing threat.</p>
<p>North Korea presents the U.S. with one of its most difficult foreign policy challenges.  Among other things, it started the 1950-1953 Korean War and now regularly provokes South Korea, Japan and the United States; abuses citizens with gulag prison camps and doesn’t allow them to freely elect their leaders; ignores U.N. Security Council resolutions and reneges on international agreements with impunity; and reportedly has illegally shipped weapons of mass destruction technology to dangerous places like Iran, Libya, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen.  Moreover, established democracy and human rights watchdogs consider it among the world’s worst dictatorships.</p>
<p>Since North Korea gained statehood in 1948 – courtesy of the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin – this Korean Peninsula nation of nearly 25 million people has been ruled exclusively by the Kim Dynasty (Kim Il Sung; his son Kim Jong-il and his grandson Kim Jong-un) under a totalitarian Stalinist military-style government. This isolated, impoverished and belligerent country maintains one of the world’s largest armies but depends on foreign aid for food and fuel.  It has a strong relationship with Russia, while China serves as its chief benefactor and protector.</p>
<p>The Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations have used diplomacy and $2 billion in food and fuel enticements as the prime means to harness North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.  However, North Korea broke every major promise in President Clinton’s 1994 bilateral Agreed Framework, President Bush’s 2003 multilateral Six-Party Talks, and President Obama’s 2012 bilateral Leap Day Agreement.  It also violated every U.N. Security Council resolution (including UNSC 1695, 1718, 1874 and 2087) aimed at stopping the regime’s nuclear weapons development program.</p>
<p>Campaigning for U.S. President in 2008, Obama promised “to pursue the kind of direct and aggressive diplomacy with North Korea that can yield results,” with the goal being the “complete and verifiable elimination” of North Korea&#8217;s nuclear weapons program.  That diplomatic strategy spectacularly failed.  During his presidency, North Korea exploded a nuclear device in 2009, launched two ballistic missiles in 2012, and detonated its latest nuclear device in February 2013.</p>
<p>President Obama is now confronted with the profound question on North Korea of “where do we go from here?”  Some suggestions follow:</p>
<p>1.  Don’t continue pursuing failed policies, especially bilateral U.S./North Korea negotiations, with North Koreans and expect different results.  Moreover, South Korea and Japan should always be a part of, or lead, any negotiation that directly impacts their national security.</p>
<p>2.  Don’t expect the U.N. Security Council to pass tougher resolutions with North Korean protectors China and Russia wielding veto pens, especially since they are gradually slipping back to their old totalitarian ways with hardline leaders and Cold War-era mindsets.</p>
<p>3.  Rethink and redo U.S. treaties and agreements with South Korea and Japan, which make those countries, to varying degrees, too dependent on the U.S. for protection.  Those free, prosperous and technically advanced nations are quite capable of defending themselves from threats emanating for North Korea, China and elsewhere with far-less U.S. support.</p>
<p>4.  Don’t oppose the efforts of Japan’s new PM to amend Article 9 of the country’s pacifist constitution which currently requires Japan to renounce war as a sovereign right and allows the U.S. to maintain an in-country military presence to protect it.</p>
<p>5.  Work with South Korea to expand broadcasting and other information operations to inform the North Korean people about their own country and the outside world.  An informed public may serve as the catalyst to change their repressive government.</p>
<p>6.  Urge the U.S. Congress to pass a resolution for presidential signature condemning North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and proliferation activities and also saying that the U.S. formally supports North and South Korea reunification as a free country. While symbolic, it would send a clear message to friends and foes that the U.S. considers North Korean regime change as the penultimate solution to the problem.</p>
<p>President Obama appropriately condemned North Korea’s latest nuclear test and missile launch as provocative and threats to U.S. national security and international peace and security.  However, words and continuing failed U.S. strategies and policies (e.g., relying on U.N.-driven diplomacy, unreliable Chinese and Russian partners, and appeasement) are not going to solve the North Korean nuclear weapons development problem. Progress on this issue requires a new policy direction accompanied with innovative ideas and firm leadership.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/fred-gedrich/a-new-strategy-needed-on-north-korea/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>18</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Deadly Statecraft in Libya</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/fred-gedrich/deadly-statecraft-in-libya/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=deadly-statecraft-in-libya</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/fred-gedrich/deadly-statecraft-in-libya/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Nov 2012 04:30:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Fred Gedrich]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[attack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Benghazi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chris Stevens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Libya]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[navy seals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[state department]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=163570</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How the U.S. can avoid another Benghazi. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2012/fred-gedrich/deadly-statecraft-in-libya/obama-benghazi_2374252b/" rel="attachment wp-att-163677"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-163677" title="obama-benghazi_2374252b" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/obama-benghazi_2374252b.gif" alt="" width="315" height="235" /></a>It took nearly four years into the Barack Obama presidency to know what he would do when confronted with an unexpected international crisis demanding immediate action to save American lives.  Americans got their answer when al Qaeda-inspired terrorists overran and torched the U.S. consulate and intelligence annex in Benghazi, Libya killing the U.S. ambassador, a foreign service officer, two former Navy SEALs and breaching a facility housing sensitive U.S. secrets.</p>
<p>Americans under assault in Libya urgently asked their superiors in DC for U.S. military support. Their requests were denied, presumably by President Obama who has the final say in such matters.  It will surely go down as one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history, especially since the most sacred duty of a president is to protect U.S. citizens.</p>
<p>Terrorists armed with AK-47s, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades began the attack about 3:30 PM EST (9:30 PM in Libya) on the 9-11 anniversary as President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Defense Secretary Panetta gathered in the Oval Office for a pre-scheduled meeting.  The attack lasted approximately 7 hours, and was undoubtedly watched in its entirety by top White House, State Department, Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agency officials on live video fed by ground-based infrared cameras and imagery from at least one unmanned drone.</p>
<p>The Benghazi attack has many Americans questioning (1) the wisdom of President Obama’s military foray into oil-rich Libya without U.S. congressional approval to topple a tyrant who posed no national security threat to the United States; (2) why the State Department removed a 16-person U.S. Army special forces team from the country and relied on local militias (armed gangs) to provide primary security at U.S. missions in Libya when the murdered U.S. ambassador, Chris Stevens, had asked for U.S. troops; (3) why the State Department didn’t ramp up security there and elsewhere on the 9/11 anniversary; (4) why U.S. military rapid deployment forces and armed aircraft weren’t sent into Benghazi from regional U.S. bases to rescue Americans; and (5) why a parade of White House and State Department officials and others went before television cameras and in print blaming the attack on a spontaneous demonstration against an anti-Muslim movie which spiraled out of control.</p>
<p>The Benghazi attack horrified Obama’s White House and reelection team.  For over a year, they presented the U.N. Security Council-approved, NATO military operation in Libya as a model of international cooperation, freeing Libyans from a tyrant and bringing democracy to the people. To further bolster President Obama’s security credentials, they also claimed al Qaeda was on the verge of defeat after bin Laden’s killing.  In doing so, they forgot history’s hard lesson that seeing things as you wish them to be, rather than how they really are, can be deadly.</p>
<p>After newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens arrived at post in May he reported conditions there as “unpredictable, volatile, and violent.” During the post-Gadhafi period, the U.S. documented over 200 security incidents (gunfights and bombings), including attacks in Benghazi on the British ambassador, the International Red Cross Office, and the U.S. mission.   An August 2012 report, “Al Qaeda in Libya: A Profile,” produced by a DoD combating-terror office and published by the Library of Congress, further documented the rising al Qaeda threat.</p>
<p>What are the lessons learned from, and future actions needed in response to, Benghazi?</p>
<p>One, the U.S. should not engage in a military conflict unless U.S. national security is threatened and U.S. Congress approves, which weren’t the case in Obama’s Libyan military intervention.   It’s far better to have duly elected representatives of the American people debating and making war decisions and setting legal war parameters rather than a small group of administration officials and U.N. and NATO member representatives and bureaucrats with varying security interests and agendas.</p>
<p>Two, the U.S. should have military security details, like the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group whose mission is to protect Americans and classified information, assigned to U.S. overseas missions where there is documented evidence of significant danger to American diplomats.  Their sheer presence could deter and/or repel attacks like this one in Benghazi.  There are currently Marine details at 148 State Department outposts, but not Libya.</p>
<p>Three, the U.S. should never hesitate to use U.S. military might to save American lives, even when host governments object.  U.S. military rapid deployment forces and airborne gunships could have arrived in Benghazi from regional U.S. bases in less than two hours.</p>
<p>Four, President Obama should take a tip from Harry “The Buck Stops Here” Truman, and accept responsibility for the Libya debacle.  He also has an obligation to tell the American people whether he or any appointed administration official denied military assistance to those under siege in Benghazi, instead of his current ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ posture.</p>
<p>Five, President Obama should ask his attorney general to appoint an independent investigator to examine all aspects of the Benghazi attack.  The State Department investigation currently underway and touted by the president will not satisfy many Americans because of conflicting interests and statements of Department officials like Secretary Clinton, UN Ambassador Susan Rice, American Foreign Service Association President Susan Johnson (represents over 31,000 active and retired foreign service officers) and others who publicly perpetrated the administration myth that an obscure anti-Muslim video served as the catalyst for the attack.</p>
<p>Finally, the situation in Benghazi demanded courage, swiftness, decisiveness, and good judgment to save American lives.  Sadly, President Obama didn’t display any of those qualities on that fateful day, his administration choosing instead to turn its back on pleas from under-secured and out-gunned Americans for help.  This is a mistake no future commander-in-chief can repeat.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref%3dnb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n:133140011%2ck:david+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n:133140011%2ck:david+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank" target="_blank">Click here</a>.  </strong></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2012/fred-gedrich/deadly-statecraft-in-libya/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Israel: A Bastion of Freedom</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/fred-gedrich/israel-a-bastion-of-freedom/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=israel-a-bastion-of-freedom</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/fred-gedrich/israel-a-bastion-of-freedom/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Fred Gedrich]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=86775</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If Arab protesters seek a democratic model to emulate, they needn’t look too far.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/tel.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-86779" title="tel" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/tel.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>While  Arab demonstrators in places like Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Oman, Tunisia  and Yemen are protesting against their oppressive  governments – it’s quite ironic that Israeli citizens are the only  people in that geographical sphere who actually enjoy the full fruits of  true freedom and democracy.  And if Arabs truly seek a democratic model to emulate, they needn’t  look any farther than the Jewish state.</p>
<p>Israel,  the lone free and democratic outpost in the turbulent Arab world region  (Middle East and North Africa), sits in the most precarious positions  of all free nations.  Since the Jewish state was internationally  recognized in 1948 by the United Nations, it has continually faced the  wrath of Arab/Muslim nations who refuse to acknowledge its right to  exist. Several wars initiated by Arab neighbors and countless terrorist  attacks later, not much has changed.</p>
<p>Israel  is dwarfed in terms of land and population by the Arab world.  It has  8,000 square miles of land and is populated with 7.4 million people.   The Arab world land mass encompasses 5.2 million square miles and has  about 350 million predominantly Sunni Muslim occupants.</p>
<p>Eager  to exploit current Arab world turmoil, sworn Israel enemies like Iran’s  Persian Islamic regime and transnational Islamist Muslim Brotherhood  and Wahhabi al Qaeda movements are immersing themselves into the Arab  Street revolution. They seek a caliphate ruled by Sharia law,  nullification of Egyptian and Jordanian peace treaties with Israel and  elimination of the Jewish state.</p>
<p>Enemies  view the Jewish state as an illegal, Western imposition on Muslim soil  and their hatred extends to the United States because, among other things, it is viewed by  most as the ultimate guarantor of Israel’s survival. They would like to  eliminate or greatly diminish U.S. regional presence and influence.</p>
<p>Unlike  its enemies, Israel is rooted in democratic principles and liberal  ideals and is governed by the rule of law.  It has free and open  elections to freely choose and replace leaders, as well as an  independent press.  The Arab world is governed by the “rule of men”  consisting of an assortment of monarchs, authoritarians, dictators, and  terrorists.  According to Freedom House, <em>not one</em> of the Arab states or territories have a <em>truly</em> free government or <em>truly</em> free press.</p>
<p>In  Israel, men and women are equal under the law.  In the Arab world, many  Muslims adhere to sharia law which totally subordinates women and  mandates many other human rights violations, including death for  adultery and amputations for stealing.</p>
<p>Israeli  average annual income is $29,500.  Arab world citizens, on average,  earn less than $8,000 per year.  Arab wealth is spread  disproportionately among rich nations like Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and  Saudi Arabia and poor nations like Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and  disproportionately among ruling classes and the public in rich and poor  nations.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/fred-gedrich/israel-a-bastion-of-freedom/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>25</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Arab World’s Uncertain Future</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/fred-gedrich/the-arab-world%e2%80%99s-uncertain-future/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-arab-world%25e2%2580%2599s-uncertain-future</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/fred-gedrich/the-arab-world%e2%80%99s-uncertain-future/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:05:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Fred Gedrich]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=85211</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The cause of regional unrest and how Obama must deal with it.  ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/cairo-at-dusk.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-85215" title="cairo-at-dusk" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/cairo-at-dusk.gif" alt="" width="375" height="296" /></a></strong></p>
<p>The recent popular uprising and military coup in Egypt have caused the historic and involuntary departure of the country’s 30-year dictator, Hosni Mubarak. His removal from power, and the earlier departure of Tunisia’s dictator, Ben Ali, marks the beginning of a new, uncertain period throughout the region.  Arab people are purportedly demonstrating for freedom and democracy.  If they are not careful, tyranny and Islamic religious repression will be what they get, with war the inevitable outcome. President Obama must, therefore, urgently devise new strategies to effectively mitigate dangers to peace and security emanating from these uprisings.</p>
<p>Iran’s non-Arab religious dictator, Ayatollah Khamenei, describes recent events as an “Islamic Awakening.”  He would like nothing better than to expand the Shiite Islamic Revolution to more Arab countries, which, despite their many leadership shortcomings, have served as a bulwark against the Iranian Islamic model and that country’s caliph aspirations.  Others, like some members of the Islamist transnational Muslim Brotherhood movement, advocate canceling peace treaties Egypt and Jordan have with Israel, creating Islamic Arab states, and installing Sharia law.  Sharia, among other things, totally subordinates women and mandates many other human rights violations.</p>
<p>The Arab world contains about 350 million residents (the vast majority are Sunni Muslims).  It currently consists of 21 nations plus the West Bank and Gaza areas, spread mostly throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and includes oil rich Arab Gulf areas and the Suez Canal.  Egypt is its most powerful and populated country with a 450,000 man active duty military and 80 million residents.  The Arab League, founded and headquartered in Cairo, is a voluntary association of those governments, intended to strengthen, coordinate and promote member ties, policies, and interests.</p>
<p>However, in 65 years of existence, the Arab League has consistently failed to satisfactorily address festering “Arab Street” problems.  Most Arabs suffer from oppression, poverty, illiteracy, genocide, and locally bred terrorism.   And the persons most responsible for perpetuating these conditions are an assortment of authoritarian rulers, terror groups, and Islamic extremists.  Some of the prime factors prompting Arabs to demonstrate against their governments follow:</p>
<p>Freedom House reported in 2010 that <em>none</em> of the Arab leaders provide their citizens with the full panoply of political rights and civil liberties to qualify as <em>truly</em> free states.   And <em>none</em> of the members provide the necessary legal environment, political influences, and economic conditions to guarantee that news provided by national media outlets has been fully accessed, objectively reported, and accurately disseminated to qualify as having a <em>truly </em>free press.</p>
<p>The average annual income of Arab world residents is $8,000, which is about 30 percent less than the global average, and despite enormous wealth in some Arab countries like Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, where the per capita income is $40,400; $51,700; and $145,300 respectively.  Conversely, people in places like Comoros, Somalia and Sudan have average incomes ranging between $2 and $6 per day.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/fred-gedrich/the-arab-world%e2%80%99s-uncertain-future/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

<!-- Performance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: http://www.w3-edge.com/wordpress-plugins/

Object Caching 485/514 objects using disk
Content Delivery Network via cdn.frontpagemag.com

 Served from: www.frontpagemag.com @ 2014-12-31 07:36:48 by W3 Total Cache -->