Daniel Larison

Eric Miller wants to sound the alarm about future Chinese bases in Africa, but mostly he just recycles the same unpersuasive claims we have been hearing for months: Chinese military basing efforts abroad have become a topic of great international interest and scrutiny. The completion of Beijing’s first overseas military base in Djibouti in 2017, … Continue reading “Washington’s Fear of Non-Existent Chinese Bases”

The Biden administration is determined to keep the US ensnared in the conflicts and rivalries of the Middle East, and "great power competition" has become the latest excuse for our government’s continued intervention and meddling in the affairs of the region. During his recent trip to Saudi Arabia, Biden said, "We will not walk away … Continue reading “Biden Hides Behind ‘Great Power Competition’ To Maintain the Bankrupt Status Quo”

The drumbeat for war with Iran is starting up again in Western media outlets, and it is following the usual pattern of promoting false claims to exaggerate the threat from Iran and its non-existent nuclear weapons. One recent report stands out as an example of how news outlets can misinform the public about major foreign … Continue reading “The War Party Is Still Targeting Iran”

The US has had an illegal military presence in Syria for at least the last seven years, and U.S. forces continue to operate in and above Syria without legal authorization. There is no discernible US security interest in keeping troops at the Tanf base in southeastern Syria, but the Biden administration has not removed them … Continue reading “Get Out of Syria”

North Korea may be preparing to conduct a new nuclear test in the near future, and if that happens there will be an outpouring of predictable hawkish demands that the United States take some punitive action in response. The Biden administration should ignore what the hawks want, but it should also revise its policy towards … Continue reading “It’s Time To Talk to North Korea Again”

Hardliners in the US and Europe have spent the last four months agitating for Western escalation in Ukraine with the goal of erasing the remaining limits on direct US and allied involvement in the war. Max Boot is the latest one to insist that it is our war: "We keep thinking it’s their war. We … Continue reading “Whose War Is It?”

Biden will travel to Israel and Saudi Arabia next month on a trip that confirms that the worst of US policies in the Middle East remain unchanged. The visit to Saudi Arabia has rightly been the focus of much of the criticism in recent weeks, but the stop in Israel is just as outrageous in … Continue reading “Biden Lets Client States Get Away With Murder”

Republican hawks are predictably pushing for many irresponsible aggressive policies towards China. The latest example of this came last week in a speech by Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, who called for $1 trillion military budget, an explicit security commitment to Taiwan, and the creation of what he calls a "NATO for the Pacific." Any one … Continue reading “A ‘NATO for the Pacific’ Is Madness”

Some US allies and Russia hawks in Washington are now agitating for the US and other members of NATO to use their naval forces break the Russian blockade of Ukraine. Retired Adm. James Stavridis is one of the latest advocates of this reckless idea, and he tries to sell it as an updated version of … Continue reading “Breaking the Blockade Risks War With Russia”

Earlier this week in Tokyo, Joe Biden said that the US would involve itself directly in the defense of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. This is the third time since taking office that he has said or suggested that the US has a security commitment to defend Taiwan when it does not, … Continue reading “Biden’s Dangerous Words on Taiwan”