It's Crunch Time for Israel on Iran

WALL STREET JOURNAL, OPINION, 7/29/2009 by John Bolton - Legions of senior American officials have descended on Jerusalem recently, but the most important of them has been Defense Secretary Robert Gates. His central objective was to dissuade Israel from carrying out military strikes against Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities. Under the guise of counseling “patience,” Mr. Gates again conveyed President Barack Obama’s emphatic thumbs down on military force. ∴ The public outcome of Mr. Gates’s visit appeared polite but inconclusive. Yet Iran’s progress with nuclear weapons and air defenses means Israel’s military option is declining over time. It will have to make a decision soon, and it will be no surprise if Israel strikes by year’s end. Israel’s choice could determine whether Iran obtains nuclear weapons in the foreseeable future. Read more at the WSJ... Read More......

Bolton: A winner of the Bradley Award

Upon accepting a Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation award for extroardinary achievement on May 3, John Bolton said, "I should note Senators Lincoln Chafee and Senator Dodd who did so much to help make me eligible for this award, and the prominent citizens of Pyongyang, Damascus and Tehran, who also pitched in simply by being themselves." Bolton also addressed the challenges associated with the 'permanent bureaucracy' in Washington, D.C. "Instead of advancing the policy directives of Republican presidents, political appointees often 'adopt the attitude of where they work' and ultimately leave their positions without making the slightest imprint," he said.

Three of the four recipients of this year's Bradley Prizes have strong ties to AEI. The distinguished political scientist James Q. Wilson, who has served as chairman of AEI's Council of Academic Advisers since 1991, received one of the prizes. Senior fellow John R. Bolton, who recently returned to AEI from his service at the United Nations, received another. Abigail Thernstrom, who is writing a book on the Voting Rights Act for the AEI Press, shared the award with her husband, Harvard professor Stephan Thernstrom.

• John R. Bolton's remarks from the awards ceremony are available here. He is currently working on a book about his experience as ambassador to the United Nations, and has recently commented on the Iran hostage situation, the threat of North Korea, and the UN's new secretary-general.
  
• James Q. Wilson wrote last fall about American exceptionalism, addressing issues of constitutionalism, federalism, religion, and democracy promotion.
  
• In recent articles, Abigail Thernstrom has written about Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and racial politics and civil rights.

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