How We Will Win

What the libertarian theorist Murray Rothbard dubbed the welfare-warfare state has held sway in the US, and in the West generally, since the run up to World War II. The “welfare” part of the equation describes the growth of the State as the source and guarantor of social equity, while the “warfare” side describes the … Continue reading “How We Will Win”

The Bolton Threat to Trump’s Middle East Policy

Post-election comments on Middle East policy last week by President-elect Donald Trump and one his campaign advisers have provoked speculation about whether Trump will upend two main foreign policy lines of the Obama administration in the Middle East. But the more decisive question about the future of US policy toward the region is whom Trump … Continue reading “The Bolton Threat to Trump’s Middle East Policy”

A Trump Doctrine – ‘America First’

However Donald Trump came upon the foreign policy views he espoused, they were as crucial to his election as his views on trade and the border. Yet those views are hemlock to the GOP foreign policy elite and the liberal Democratic interventionists of the Acela Corridor. Trump promised an "America First" foreign policy rooted in … Continue reading “A Trump Doctrine – ‘America First’”

‘Above All, We Need Debate’ on Russia

Stephen Cohen is an American scholar of Russian studies and Emeritus Professor at Princeton University and New York University. His academic work concentrates on developments in Russia since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and the country’s relationship with the United States. Cohen, who received his Ph.D. in government and Russian studies at Columbia University, became … Continue reading “‘Above All, We Need Debate’ on Russia”

Memo to the Next Administration: Defense Spending Must Be for Actual Defense

In a disturbing indication of how difficult it would be to bring military spending in line with actual threats overseas, House Armed Services Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R – TX) told President Obama last week that his war funding request of $11.6 billion for the rest of the year was far too low. That figure … Continue reading “Memo to the Next Administration: Defense Spending Must Be for Actual Defense”

Dear President Trump

The recent presidential campaign saw a plethora of open letters directed at Donald Trump, at least two of which were authored and signed by neoconservative foreign policy “experts” denouncing him for challenging their most cherished notions. Now it’s my turn to write an open letter, albeit coming from the opposite direction. Dear President Trump: Unlike … Continue reading “Dear President Trump”