The underdogs in the Middle East are losing hope as the U.S. administration, whose leadership ran on the slogan of "hope," is engaging dictatorships and jihadists instead of reaching out to the democrats of the region.

Fort Hood's terror attack, perpetrated by Nidal Malik Hasan, is inscribed in the wider ideological war, generated by radicalization and inciting individuals to perform such acts.

The Fort Hood killings, perpetrated by Major Malik Nadal Hasan, if indeed they have any link to ideology, will be the single largest terror attack in America since 9/11.

The Taliban has escalated its violence, which we warned it would since the assassination of Prime Minister elect Benazir Bhutto in December 2007. Analysts must focus on the lessons learned so far so policy suggestions can be made — and fast.

This particular gesture isn’t about past achievements, as the committee and the recipient have concurred. It is about supporting a specific policy, which has been enunciated firmly and is now being grounded in layers of moral recognition.