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Pressure Points

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

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More Hostages But No More Sanctions: The Failure of Biden Administration Venezuela Policy

by Elliott Abrams September 18, 2024

The arrest of a fourth American hostage by the Maduro regime in Venezuela shows the failure of Biden administration policy there. It is time to reimpose sanctions on Venezuelan oil. Read More

Palestinian Territories
Plagues, War Criminals, and Palestinian Authority Views of the United States
Palestinian Authority officials have recently called President Biden a "war criminal" and the United States a "plague." Should U.S. assistance continue to pay for such insults?
Blog Post by Elliott Abrams September 10, 2024 Pressure Points
Venezuela
Oil Companies, Biden Policies, and Democracy in Venezuela
The activities of U.S. and European oil companies in Venezuela are helping the Maduro regime crush democracy there, and the Biden administration should now fully reimpose U.S. sanctions.
Blog Post by Elliott Abrams September 7, 2024 Pressure Points
Military Operations
"The Houthis Have Defeated the U.S. Navy," or, What is a Navy For?
The mission of the U.S. Navy has for centuries been to keep the sea lines of communication open, but the United States is abandoning that task in the Middle East today.
Blog Post by Elliott Abrams August 31, 2024 Pressure Points
  • Foreign Aid
    The United States Was Just Called a "Plague" by Mahmoud Abbas. Now what?
    Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas just told the Turkish parliament that "America is the plague, and the plague is America." Will the United States tolerate such attacks?
    Blog Post by Elliott Abrams August 16, 2024 Pressure Points
  • Venezuela
    Biden’s Tragic Mistake on Venezuela, Calling for a New Election Instead of Respect for the Election the Opposition Won
    President Biden’s statement today that he supports a new election in Venezuela is a tragic, unforced error that compounds the previous weaknesses in supporting democracy there.
    Blog Post by Elliott Abrams August 15, 2024 Pressure Points
  • Venezuela
    Carrots Need Sticks: The Biden Administration and the Case of Venezuela 
    The Biden administration appears to be offering Venezuelan dictator Maduro amnesty if he will leave power, but sticks as well as carrots will be needed to persuade him.
    Blog Post by Elliott Abrams August 13, 2024 Pressure Points
  • Norway
    Norway: From Mediator to Persecutor of Israel
    Norway has abandoned its longstanding neutrality and mediation efforts between Israel and the Palestinians, and instead joined Israel's harshest critics.
    Blog Post by Elliott Abrams August 12, 2024 Pressure Points
  • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    Is the “Two-State Solution” Still Viable?
    Is the longstanding proposal to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the “two-state solution,” still viable? A recent debate took on all the issues, and I argued for “no.”
    Blog Post by Elliott Abrams August 6, 2024 Pressure Points
  • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    Palestine and Jordan
    A Palestinian-Jordanian confederation may be a more realistic outcome for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, as a former top Jordanian official proposed this week.
    Blog Post by Elliott Abrams July 27, 2024 Pressure Points
  • Israel
    Injustice, Israel, and the "International Court of Justice"
    The ICJ's "advisory opinion" on Israeli "settlements" in Jerusalem and the West Bank is an injustice that gives evidence of considerable bias against the Jewish State.
    Blog Post by Elliott Abrams July 20, 2024 Pressure Points