Clifford May
The Washington Times
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Clifford:
Trump’s first 100 days
It’s apparent that Donald Trump was — to employ a neologism coined by President George W. Bush 16 years ago — misunderestimated. But those who gave odds that he couldn’t transform from a successful businessman into a successful politician are now betting he can’t transform from a successful politician into a successful statesman. → Read More
With Hamas and Hezbollah seeking to destroy Israel, a Palestinian leader with courage must step up
Decade after decade, one administration after another has set in motion what has been called a “peace process.” None has come close to ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. → Read More
Vladimir Putin uses cyber weapons to keep Americans at each other's throats
Just so there’s no confusion: This column is not about Americans conspiring or colluding or coordinating with Russians. That’s a separate controversy about which I don’t have a lot to say at this moment. → Read More
China and Russia pose the central challenge, but North Korea's threat is imminent
High among President Trump’s first-year achievements: Appointing James Mattis secretary of Defense. His experience, knowledge, dedication and just plain toughness qualify him, perhaps uniquely, for what he clearly sees as the most important mission of his life — ensuring that America’s military forces are equal to the threats they will face over the years ahead. → Read More
Hezbollah retains ‘A-Team of terrorists’ title, richly deserves to be destroyed
Fifteen years ago, deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage called Hezbollah the “A-Team of terrorists.” He regarded al Qaeda as less capable, maybe a B-Team (though certainly not a JV-Team). → Read More
Why Donald Trump's epithet must not be a factor in immigration negotiations
Much of my so-called career as a foreign correspondent was spent in countries that could accurately be described with the scatological adjective allegedly uttered by President Trump last week. → Read More
European Union declines to support oppressed Iranians
It’s tempting to say that Europe’s leaders lack the courage of their convictions. But that would imply that they have convictions. The evidence suggests those days are gone. → Read More
Iran erupts. Is another revolution brewing?
The revolution that transformed Iran in 1979 was a grand experiment. From that moment on, Iran would be ruled by an ayatollah, a man with deep knowledge of sharia, Islamic law. → Read More
Trump, national security team address a 'wide range' of national security threats
A National Security Strategy is less a plan of action than an attempt to prioritize. Who, in the president's judgment, most threatens America? What means do we have and what capabilities must we develop to defend the homeland and protect our freedoms? → Read More
Reimagining a more realistic ‘peace process’
“The peace process” is the name we’ve given to decades of attempts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. → Read More
Communism has become problematically and distressingly nostalgic
My political orientation has evolved slowly over decades. With one exception: I became anti-Soviet and anti-Communist overnight. More quickly than that, actually. → Read More
Osama bin Laden diary shows terror leader’s thoughts
On May 2, 2011, a Navy SEAL team made a brief stop in Abbottabad, Pakistan where they terminated Osama bin Laden's life and then moved on to their second mission: collecting as much information as possible from within the al Qaeda leader's compound. → Read More
Israel given birth thanks to international efforts
In theory, who doesn't believe in self-determination, the idea, developed in the 19th century, that all nations have a right to sovereignty? By the early 20th century, President Woodrow Wilson was insisting that "National aspirations must be respected; people may now be dominated and governed only by their own consent." In theory, self-determination is today a fundamental principle of… → Read More
Kurdish independence may depend on Trump's moves
In a just world, the Kurds would have a state of their own. Their culture is ancient. They speak a distinctive language. They have a homeland, Kurdistan, ruled for centuries by Arabs, Turks and Persians -- foreigners and oppressors all. → Read More
Iran nuclear deal can be amended by Trump
President Trump made a tough call last week. European diplomats and an "echo chamber" in the mainstream media were insisting he "recertify" the nuclear weapons deal his predecessor concluded with Iran's rulers in 2015. → Read More
Racial hate in American can be overcome with American values
More than 35 years ago, I went to Africa for the first time, the junior member of a group of American writers. We were visiting The Gambia and, at a stop in the interior, I purchased a small wooden statue at a roadside kiosk. One of the group asked how much I had paid. I told her and, a bit condescendingly, she suggested that next time I ask for her help because, in this part of the world, one… → Read More
Latin American instability requires aggressive action
At the U.N. last week, President Trump had harsh words for the "socialist dictatorship" that has impoverished Venezuela. He railed against "Islamist extremism" and "radical Islamic terrorism," the former a supremacist ideology, the latter a weapon being used to mass-murder Muslims, Christians Yazidis, Jews and Hindus. He took note, too, of the threat posed by "international criminal networks"… → Read More
Iran situation required careful U.S. involvement
Eleven years ago, Henry Kissinger famously said that Iran's rulers must "decide whether they are representing a cause or a nation." If the latter, Iranian and American interests would be "compatible." As for the former: "If Tehran insists on combining the Persian imperial tradition with contemporary Islamic fervor, then a collision with America is unavoidable." → Read More
United Nations needs to be fixed
The United Nations was created in the wake of World War II by the major Allied nations that had prevailed -- at an enormous cost in blood and treasure -- over the Axis powers. Its founders proclaimed ambitious goals: to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," "reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights" and "promote social progress." That the U.N. hasn't come close to succeeding… → Read More
9/11 anniversary shows some things remain the same
The approach of an anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 always concentrates my mind. It was, astonishingly, 16 Septembers ago that a team of foreign terrorists hijacked three American passenger planes and used them as weapons of mass destruction. → Read More