The panelists’ said the largest lessons from the war are the necessity of good intelligence, the need to understand our enemies, and the risks America is making by not maintaining our leadership role.

McCain lamented that America invaded Iraq on faulty intelligence and that one of the military’s primary goals, finding Saddam Hussein’s weapons program, turned up nothing.

The intelligence failures leading up to the invasion “colored the opinion of many Americans” to any future decisions that need to be made in the interest of American defense, McCain suggested.

Keane, the former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army and an author of the plan for the 2007 surge in Iraq, said the American military needs to improve its understanding of whatever enemy it faces.

Keane pointed to the invasion in March 2003 as an example of the military’s ability to run a successful campaign, but said the war’s leaders never understood what to do after capturing Baghdad.

“It took the American military three years,” from 2003 to 2006, to understand that it was facing an insurgency, McCain added. And it was only after this recognition that American forces put together a plan to better fight the enemy in order to gain control in Iraq.

This model is similar to what we’ve seen in Libya, Keane said. America’s original strikes on Muammar Ghaddafi were extremely successful but the inability to recognize what would happen next with the rise of Islamic militias led to increased disorder.

Keane and McCain said the lack of American leadership in Iraq since the war’s end is having negative consequences for Iraq and the region.

The inability of the Obama administration to maintain a military presence in Iraq under the status of forces agreement was a serious blunder, McCain said.

The lack of American presence in the country has slowed the democratization of Iraq, leaving McCain with “little optimism for a stable government.”

Iraqi instability has allowed Iran to maintain the presence it established during the war when Keane saw the Iranians help the Iraqis build bombs to kill Americans.

The lack of American leadership is also affecting other countries in the region, including Syria. McCain spoke of Obama’s unwillingness to aid Syrian rebels in that country’s civil war, calling it a “shameful period in American history.”

He also discussed the unconfirmed reports that came out of Syria this morning of chemical weapon use, which, if true, would constitute the crossing of the president’s “redline.”

The fall of the Syrian regime would be a massive blow to Iran, which McCain said would help slow down their nuclear ambitions.

Rep. James McGovern (D., Mass.) said the current trial of dead Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky represents a “malevolent move” that makes “it clear that Russian leaders recognize that they no longer have the support of the people they govern, and so they must resort to scare tactics to try and keep the lid on dissent.”

Magnitsky was killed while in a Moscow detention center in November 2009 after being imprisoned by Russian authorities. He claimed to have uncovered massive tax fraud that involved Russian government officials.

The Senate passed in December 2012 the Magnitsky Act, which applies visa sanctions to Russians who are believed to be engaged in human rights violations.

Senator Ben Cardin (D., Md.), who sponsored the Magnitsky Act, said the “objective is not to ban Russians from visiting the United States or using our banking system.”

“The objective is to get Russia to do what is right for its citizens,” he said.

The Russian government, led by President Putin, recently banned Russian children from being adopted by American parents in response to the Magnitsky Act.

The FPI event also featured two panels of Russian experts who analyzed the current situation in Russia and proposed how the West should respond to the humanitarian crisis since Putin’s reelection.

Putin has passed several resolutions since his reelection that suppress political dissent and negatively affect Russians, including the jailing of the band Pussy Riot, the decision to end cooperation with USAID, and approval of a new clamp down on pro-democracy groups and nonprofits.

The first panel, which consisted of two Russian politicians and a leading humanitarian, discussed the situation from a Russian point of view.

Dmitri Gudkov, a current member of the Duma, said he was “very grateful” for all American families who adopt Russian children. Gudkov was one of only eight Duma members to vote against the adoption ban.

Ludmila Alekseeva of the Moscow Helsinki Group, a Nobel Peace Prize candidate, talked about the difficulty that nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are facing in Russia since Putin’s reelection.

Any NGO in Russia must declare itself as a foreign agent, which denies them access to bank accounts and office space in Russia.

Mikhail Kasyanov, the former prime minister of Russia, said Russian media and propaganda outlets work to equate the term “foreign agent” with “foreign spy.” As a result, Russians are often unwilling to work with such groups.

Opposition to Putin is difficult due to the nation’s propaganda machine, said Kasyanov.

Gudkov, of the Duma, commented that the rise of the Internet is helping to spread non-propaganda news. However, this is leading to a crackdown of bloggers who write critically of the Russian government.

All the members agreed at the end of the first panel that the Magnitsky Act was speeding up change in the Russian government and that it is easy for the Russian people to understand.

The second panel said the West must take a firmer stance against Russia.

Kristiina Ojuland, a member of the European Parliament, suggested a trans-Atlantic system of targeted sanctions against the Russian government that would not hurt the Russian people.

Vice President of the European Parliament Edward McMillan-Scott said there must a strong working relationship with the U.S. Congress in fighting for human rights in Russia.

Lilia Shevtsova, of the Carnegie Endowment, suggested a transactional relationship with the Russians that would guarantee desirable results because Russians do not want to be preached to from the West.

Shevtsova also took the opportunity to criticize the Obama administration’s recent change to a so-called “patient diplomacy” that emphasizes a hands off approach to Russia.

President Barack Obama’s claim of “leading from behind” is the “perfect definition of this administration,” Shevtsova said.

In an email sent to Current TV’s staff, co-founder and former chief executive officer Joel Hyatt describes the selling process he and co-founder Al Gore went through in considering sale to Al Jazeera, acknowledging Current TV was a failed model.

Hyatt points to the Al Jazeera’s many accomplishments, including its global reach and for being the “only news network” that Obama-supporter Colin Powell watches, as factors in their decision.

The announcement makes clear that Al Jazeera plans to create a new international news network for an American audience called “Al Jazeera America.”

Hyatt reminds his staff that the Qatari government funds Al Jazeera in the announcement, but fails to mention that the news network is considered by some a political and diplomatic tool for the oil-rich monarchy. Drivers in Qatar currently pay about $1 per gallon at the pump, due to massive oil subsidies handed down by the government.

Gore’s post-vice presidential work has notably centered around reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other green causes. The former vice president will pocket an estimated $100 million on the sale. According to the New York Times, which first broke the story Wednesday, Gore wanted to complete the sale before Jan. 1, 2013 to avoid getting slammed with higher taxes.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Glenn Beck’s the Blaze inquired about buying Current last year, but was rejected due to ideological differences. Current leadership told the Blaze at the time that ”the legacy of who the network goes to is important to us.” Beck confirmed the inquiry late Wednesday.

The new network, meanwhile, is already facing problems as one Current TV distributor, Time Warner Cable, did not agree with the sale and has already dropped the network.

Read Hyatt’s full email below:

From: Joel Hyatt
Date: January 2, 2013, 6:36:46
Subject: BIG NEWS FOR THE NEW YEAR!

Al and I are thrilled and proud to announce that a few moments ago Current was acquired by Al Jazeera, the award winning international news organization.

When considering the several suitors who were interested in acquiring Current, it became clear to us that Al Jazeera was founded with the same goals we had for Current: To give voice to those whose voices are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the important stories that no one else is telling. Al Jazeera, like Current, believes that facts and truth lead to a better understanding of the world around us.

Al and I did significant due diligence as part of our evaluation process. We were impressed with all that we learned about Al Jazeera and its journalistic integrity, global reach, award-winning programming, and growing influence around the world. That influence has recently been demonstrated by Al Jazeera’s important and impactful coverage of the Arab Spring, which was widely credited as being the most thorough and informative coverage from any media company. Colin Powell told Al that Al Jazeera is the only cable news network he watches (which he is able to do because Comcast carries it in the Washington, DC market).

As you may know, Al Jazeera is funded by the government of Qatar, which is the United States’ closest ally in the Gulf Region, and is where the United States bases its Middle East Air Force operations. I have had first-hand knowledge of Qatar’s policies as a result of my tenure on the Board of The Brookings Institution. The Saban Center for Middle East Policy is a joint venture of The Brookings Institution and Qatar, and it has offices in Washington, DC and Doha, Qatar. Its purpose is to propose practical public policies that can contribute to peace in the Middle East, and its founding Director is my friend, Martin Indyk, the former U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

While considering this decision, I spent a week in Doha, Qatar, where Al Jazeera is headquartered, and I am pleased to tell you that I could not have been more impressed with their operation. First of all, they are bringing large-scale resources to journalism – something which we have not been able to do. Al Jazeera has more than 80 bureaus around the world, and is seen in more than 260 million homes in 130 countries. Al Jazeera has a staff of over 4000 people, including 400 journalists. Its journalists hail from more than 50 countries, with every conceivable nationality and religion represented on its professional team. Al Jazeera is a major global media player.

The rest of the world thinks so too. Al Jazeera English has won many, many awards including an Alfred I DuPont Award for Best Documentary, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Four Freedoms Awards for freedom of speech and expression, an Amnesty International Award for International TV and Radio, the prestigious Peabody Award, and the Huffington Post Ultimate Media Gamechanger award.

All of this is compelling, but what really convinced Al and me that Al Jazeera would be a great home for the people of Current was their publicly stated Values and Core Capabilities. Their mission includes the following: Diversity (“bringing stories from the underreported communities, societies and cultures from across the globe), Journalistic Integrity (“committed to the uncompromising pursuit of truth and the ideals of journalism”), and A Voice for the Voiceless (“promoting the basic human right of the freedom of expression for people everywhere”).

Al Jazeera is planning to invest significantly in building “Al Jazeera America,” a network focused on international news for the American audience. Al and I will both serve on the Advisory Board of Al Jazeera America, and we look forward to helping build an important news network.

Obviously there will be a lot of transition work in the coming weeks. Al Jazeera does not have a management team in place in the U.S to run this new venture. They are extremely impressed with our people and our accomplishments. I will be holding staff meetings in the next few daysand will introduce the senior folks from Al Jazeera who have led the planning for this entry into the United States. (I will separately communicate as to the day and time for those staff meetings.) We will communicate more of the details of this acquisition during those meetings.

Getting this transaction done was very difficult. One of Current’s distributors, Time Warner Cable, did not consent to the sale to Al Jazeera. Consequently, Current will no longer be carried on TWC. This is unfortunate, but I am confident that Al Jazeera America will earn significant additional carriage in the months and years ahead. In the United Kingdom, it has become the number three news network (behind the BBC and Sky News). It did that by investing in great programming – as it intends to do in the United States.

Al and I are incredibly proud of what all of us have been able to accomplish together. Throughout our short history, Current has been a thought leader for the media industry, innovating many exciting features that became standard after we introduced them. (Tweets on television anyone?!) Just this past year, we’ve been able to provide our viewers with fantastic interactive and social TV 2.0 coverage of the Presidential Election, including a peek inside the Obama Campaign headquarters, in depth analysis of the Libor Scandal, the breaking and relentless coverage of the Trayvon Martin scandal, and the list goes on and on. We have won most of the important awards in the journalism profession. We have stayed true to our independence and courage. And in our choice of new corporate parent, we are continuing to strive to make a difference – to provide the American people with information and analysis they need to live better, more secure, happier lives. I am confident this will continue into the future.

As I reflected deeply about this decision – both to sell the company and to whom – I kept coming back to one basic notion: The purpose of journalism is to provide those who don’t know with information and knowledge so that they can become those who do know. Bias and hatred are fueled by ignorance. Information and knowledge are the only antidotes to that ignorance. That is the role journalism must play – to provide the knowledge that sweeps away the bias and hatred caused by ignorance. It is a noble pursuit. I am proud of each and every one of you for your dedication to pursuing that noble goal. And it is a privilege to have worked with all of you these past few years.

Please accept my best wishes for a happy, healthy, exciting and fulfilling New Year!

All the best,
Joel

Basic Machinery Co., Inc. (BMC)—a small design firm in Siler City, N.C., that specializes in heavy industrial systems for the brick, tile, power generation, recycling, and ship and rail terminal industries—has already felt the negative effects of Obama’s policies and its executives are worried for the future.

Hal Milholen, vice president of sales and marketing and partner at BMC, said the company was forced to downsize by 40 employees during Obama’s first term and is expecting to reduce employment by another 30 percent during Obama’s second term.

Milholen points to several causes for his company’s woes, including “$6.5 million in projects cancelled within two weeks following the election,” and a “lack of interest by the United States Government in providing a more secure tax environment for small businesses” such as BMC.

“Many small businesses [hide] profits in any way possible” to avoid higher taxes that act as a hindrance to “outside ventures for investment of said profits,” he said.

The biggest concern for Milholen is the upcoming implementation of Obamacare, which will force BMC to modify its labor force to employ “more part time positions, resulting in a less skilled work force.”

Those who do remain fully employed by BMC will only have partially covered insurance premiums due to rising health care costs, despite BMC’s history of providing full coverage for employees.

Mr. Milholen also fears for the future of the industrial plants that do business with BMC. He said that the only industry with a sign of strength is the biomass co-generation industry, “primarily due to government funding for some” companies.

However, “less than 5 percent of these” government funded “projects are coming to fruition,” he observed.