Originally published at LobeLog, reprinted with permission.In my 30 years as the Washington DC bureau chief for Inter Press Service, only one institution has denied me admission to their press or public events. That was the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) shortly...
Netanyahu Wrong on Iraq, Wrong on Iran
The Bibi who cried wolf:
Kerry Was Right the First Time: America Is Not ‘Retreating’ Into ‘Isolationism’
Report from Thursday, February 26, 2014 (today): U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry decried what he called a "new isolationism" in the United States on Wednesday and suggested that the country was beginning to behave like a poor nation. Speaking to reporters, Kerry...
Ukraine, Crimea, and Washington’s Pointless Geo-Political Contest With Russia
In response to the revolution in Ukraine, Moscow has ordered a 150,000-troop Russian military exercise in the semi-autonomous region of Crimea, right on Ukraine’s border. Amid the commotion, pro and anti- Russian residents residents of Crimea have protested. Dmitri...
China Hawks Walk the Line on Advocating War
Writing at The National Interest, Robert Haddick, an independent contractor with U.S. Special Operations Command, welcomes "getting tough" on China. He argues that Washington has been too accommodating to China's regional ambitions and has thus failed to provide a...
The US Has No Legitimacy on Venezuela
The U.S. State Department announced yesterday that it was expelling three Venezuelan diplomats after "similar action against three U.S. consular officials in Caracas." When nations expel diplomats from their respective countries, it is an indication tensions are...
Obama’s Broken Promise to Shift Drone War to Defense Department
At the National Journal, Michael Hirsh reports: It's been more than a year since incoming CIA Director John Brennan signaled his intention to shift drone warfare to the Pentagon as soon as possible. Brennan, a career spook, was said to be determined to restore the...
Reminder: ‘The US Is Surrounding China With Military Bases, Not Conversely’
The geopolitical tensions arising between China and its smaller neighbors are complex. There are ways to mitigate them and ways to exacerbate them. For the U.S., however, it's a much simpler question. Considering the maritime and territorial disputes are none of our...
Interventionism in Ukraine: The Destructive Logic of Great Power Competition
The international debate over what is happening in Ukraine is a partisan one. Some criticize Russia for nefariously seeking to keep Ukraine in its orbit. These folks denounce the Ukrainian government and security forces for their corruption and violence against...
Defense Budget Cuts – Not So Much
It's true that the devil is in the details. It is especially true, though, with legislative budgets. I wrote earlier about the Pentagon's suggestions for $45 billion in cuts to its own budget and how much of it targets the bloated benefits plans for members of the...
