Ted Galen Carpenter

The collapse of Bashar Al-Assad’s Syrian government in late November and early December 2024 occurred with stunning speed. There was little question that Joe Biden’s administration and several U.S. allies, especially Turkey, were pleased with the outcome. Washington had worked diligently to force Assad from power since 2011, even though the effort triggered a civil … Continue reading “Washington’s Long Flirtation with Syria’s Extreme Islamists”

The final weeks of the Biden administration have been filled with turbulence in foreign policy.  Some of the most serious wounds have been self-inflicted.  For example, no one forced America’s lame-duck president to capitulate to Ukraine’s longstanding lobbying effort to obtain U.S. ATACM missiles capable of striking targets deep inside Russia.  Biden and his foreign … Continue reading “Warning Signs for Washington’s East Asia Policy”

When the Soviet Union dissolved in late 1991, the world seemed poised for a new, more peaceful era no longer haunted by the fear of a nuclear Armageddon. The principal successor state from the wreckage of the USSR was a noncommunist Russia that was intent on becoming part of the democratic, capitalist West. President George … Continue reading “Will Joe Biden’s Final Russia Legacy Be Armageddon?”

Donald Trump’s election as president is fueling speculation that he will terminate U.S. financial and logistical support for Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.  Trump himself has contributed to that speculation during his June 28, 2024 debate with President Biden when he said, “If we had a real president, a president that was respected by [Russian … Continue reading “Will Trump End Washington’s Proxy War in Ukraine?”

A distressing number of my relatives, friends, and acquaintances have found themselves reduced to making a “choice” between the “lesser of two evils” in most elections. That ugly situation seems to be especially true regarding U.S. presidential elections, and the current contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris continues the distressing pattern. I have long … Continue reading “Trump, Harris, and the ‘Lesser of Two Evils’”

An especially notable feature of the 2024 presidential campaign has been the number of prominent Republicans who have endorsed Democratic Party nominee Kamala Harris. The latest convert is former congressman Mickey Edwards, a 6-term representative from Oklahoma, who had been a member of the GOP’s leadership in the House of Representatives. Some Republican defectors have … Continue reading “Kamala’s Growing Flock of GOP Hawks”

In recent weeks, there has been a surge of allegations that Moscow has long orchestrated an illegal campaign to influence U.S. public opinion. On September 4, 2024, the Justice Department charged two Russian media executives with an alleged scheme that authorities say illegally funneled millions of dollars to a Tennessee-based company [Tenet] to create and … Continue reading “Pro-War Lobby Attacks Russian Influencers”

America’s founders were extremely worried that the Republic might become entangled in quarrels that were, or should be, irrelevant to America’s own security and well-being. Several prominent founders, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, emphasized that danger. Today’s proponents of a new foreign policy based on realism and restraint highlight similar concerns. That worry is … Continue reading “Washington Needlessly Entangles Its Small Allies”

Those Americans who might hope that the growing public opposition to continuing U.S. aid to Ukraine might signal a wave of fresh thinking about foreign policy in the Republican party are likely to be disappointed. Most members of the establishment cling to the idea that the principal worry about Republican policy views is the growing … Continue reading “The Republican Establishment’s Sterile Foreign Policy Perspective”

U.S. officials routinely portray Ukraine as a democratic ally and the symbol of an existential fight between freedom and authoritarianism. That simplistic portrayal has intensified since Russia launched its large-scale attack in February 2022. The reality is that Ukraine is a corrupt authoritarian state similar to Russia. Not only does Volodymyr Zelensky’s government not respect … Continue reading “Ukraine’s Attacks on Freedom of Expression Continue”