Free Republic

Israel has assured the United States of its plans “to transition from a higher intensity level of operations ... to something a bit lower-intensity” as its objectives shift in Gaza, the White House said Thursday, according to CNN. “The Israelis say they recognize the need to transition to a different phase of fighting — I mean, in any military campaign, wherever you’re going to transition to a different set of objectives, you're going to achieve those different set of objectives through different tactics and operations, and that's just standard for the conduct of military operations,” White House National Security Council...

Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton called Thursday for a sharp escalation of the war against the so-called Islamic State on military, diplomatic and ideological fronts, embracing some ideas championed by Republicans and rejected by President Obama. “It’s time to begin a new phase and intensify and broaden our efforts to smash the would-be caliphate,” the former secretary of state said in a major foreign policy speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. “This is a worldwide fight, and America must lead it.” While heavy on policy, Clinton’s remarks served multiple political purposes. She contrasted herself with the...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The economic crisis could be entering a "new phase" with rising public debt threatening to undermine the stability of the global financial system, the International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday. In a biannual report on economic stability, the IMF said the latest challenge to the world's rocky financial system came as banks were regaining their footing amid the nascent global recovery. "Risks to global financial stability have eased as the economic recovery has gained steam, but concerns about advanced country sovereign risks could undermine stability gains and prolong the collapse of credit," the report said. "Without more fully...