Daniel Larison

The US and its allies are reportedly pursuing a "long-term strategy" that seeks to "isolate and weaken" Russia in response to the war in Ukraine. Like other "strategies" to isolate targeted states through sanctions and threats, this one will use punitive measures to inflict economic pain for its own sake. Western governments are no longer … Continue reading “Isolating Russia Is a Dead End”

The Biden administration’s year-long negotiations to salvage the nuclear deal are close to failing, and it is telling that the reason for the failure will be an issue that has nothing to do with nuclear proliferation. The latest sticking point is the US designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group, … Continue reading “Biden’s Last Chance on the Nuclear Deal”

The Biden administration has catered to the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the last year with more weapons sales and deployments of US forces, but this has only encouraged them to demand even more support and to complain that the US has not indulged their whims enough. Now there … Continue reading “Stop Indulging the Saudis and the UAE”

Biden delivered a lengthy speech in Warsaw last week, but the only thing most people will know about it or remember from it was the ad-libbed line at the very end when he declared, "For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power." It seemed like an obvious demand for regime change in Moscow, and … Continue reading “Biden’s Careless Regime Change Rhetoric”

The US-backed war on Yemen started seven years ago this week, and after all this time US policy is practically unchanged. The coalition bombing campaign has picked up again in recent months with 700 airstrikes in February alone, and according to the Yemen Data Project the bombing has been more intense during this period than … Continue reading “With Biden’s Support, Saudi Arabia Escalates Its War of Aggression in Yemen”

Most Americans want to keep the US out of the war in Ukraine. The public wants neither troops on the ground nor planes in sky over Ukraine. While there is sympathy for the Ukrainian people, most Americans understand that our government should not join the conflict. The Biden administration has so far refused to listen … Continue reading “A ‘No-Fly Zone’ Is a Non-Starter”

The US has waged senseless economic war against the people of Venezuela for years in pursuit of regime change. Now that it has embarked on a destructive economic war against Russia, the Biden administration is beginning to entertain easing some of the broad sanctions on Venezuela that have greatly exacerbated the country’s humanitarian crisis. US … Continue reading “US Venezuela Policy Is a Destructive Failure”

The Russian attack on Ukraine that began last week has encouraged hawkish interventionists to begin floating extremely dangerous ideas to involve the US and its allies in the conflict. Several retired military officers and former officials have been calling for establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which would require taking offensive action against Russian forces … Continue reading “Stay Out of the War in Ukraine”

The Russian government’s recognition of the independence of the two separatist republics in eastern Ukraine and the decision to send its forces openly into those territories have prompted demands for the US and its allies to impose the harshest sanctions on Russia yet. It remains to be seen whether the Russian government will take any … Continue reading “Beware the Sanctions Trap Over Russia”

The Biden administration’s decision to take half of Afghanistan’s frozen reserves and keep them for the families of 9/11 victims is just the latest in a series of policy decisions that impose collective punishment on tens of millions of innocent people for the actions of others. Biden’s decision to rob the Afghan people of billions … Continue reading “Collective Punishment Is Washington’s Default Policy”