Ted Galen Carpenter

Ted Galen Carpenter, Senior Fellow at the Randolph Bourne Institute, is the author of 13 books and more than 1,100 articles on international affairs. Dr. Carpenter held various senior policy positions during a 37-year career at the Cato institute. His latest book is Unreliable Watchdog: The News Media and U.S. Foreign Policy (2022).

The Closer Ukraine Gets to Victory, the Closer the World Comes to Nuclear War

The United States and its NATO allies now seem fully committed to a strategy of helping Ukraine to win its war against Russia. President Biden’s May 31, 2022, announcement that Washington intends to give Ukrainian forces advanced rocket systems capable of striking targets at long range is the latest evidence of that determination. Kyiv supposedly … Continue reading “The Closer Ukraine Gets to Victory, the Closer the World Comes to Nuclear War”

Does Russia’s Ukraine Experience Increase or Reduce the Likelihood That China Will Invade Taiwan?

There continue to be sharply competing narratives about what relevance Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might have for the Taiwan issue. One school of thought contends that Moscow’s flagrant violation of international norms against using force to deal with a territorial dispute might encourage the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to do the same to resolve … Continue reading “Does Russia’s Ukraine Experience Increase or Reduce the Likelihood That China Will Invade Taiwan?”

Washington’s Tolerance of Death Squad ‘Democracies’

The U.S. government has had a long, dishonorable history of forging and sustaining close relations with murderous dictatorships – as long as they supported Washington’s foreign policy. Such authoritarian US allies as the Shah of Iran, Nicaragua’s Anastasio Somoza, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, the Saudi royal family, and a succession of South Korean and Guatemalan military … Continue reading “Washington’s Tolerance of Death Squad ‘Democracies’”

The News Media’s Ukraine Whitewash Grows Worse

The U.S. news media’s treatment of the Ukraine issue has long been characterized by flagrant favoritism. Reports from organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Transparency International, and Freedom House showing that Ukraine’s actual conduct differed markedly from its carefully crafted image as a dedicated young democracy received little coverage in the mainstream press. That willingness … Continue reading “The News Media’s Ukraine Whitewash Grows Worse”

Does Nonmember Ukraine Have a De Facto Article 5 Commitment From NATO?

One supposedly crucial and unfortunate feature separating Ukraine from formal members of NATO is that Kyiv does not have a security guarantee under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. That provision proclaims that an attack on any NATO member will be considered an attack on all. Some critics of NATO’s unwillingness to respond favorably … Continue reading “Does Nonmember Ukraine Have a De Facto Article 5 Commitment From NATO?”

This Time, NATO Better Take Putin’s Ukraine Warnings Seriously

In one of the great foreign policy blunders of modern times, U.S. and European leaders repeatedly disregarded Vladimir Putin’s warnings that Russia would never tolerate Ukraine becoming a NATO military asset. Because of resistance from the French and German governments (which had as much to do with Ukraine’s chronic corruption as with concerns about Russia’s … Continue reading “This Time, NATO Better Take Putin’s Ukraine Warnings Seriously”

Risking Nuclear War for a Corrupt, Increasingly Repressive Ukraine

Fortunately, President Biden thus far has rejected the most risky policies that hawks are pushing in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite being under intense pressure, he continues to rule out proclaiming a no-fly zone, and he flatly rejects suggestions (including from one close political ally) that he consider sending U.S. troops to Ukraine. … Continue reading “Risking Nuclear War for a Corrupt, Increasingly Repressive Ukraine”

The US Military Is Training Third World Coup Leaders Again

Americans should be experiencing an uneasy sense of déjà vu. In the last two years, U.S.-trained officers have overthrown West African governments at least four times.  There are indications that other graduates have undermined civilian governments in other portions of the continent. But U.S. military officials have been less than informative. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) … Continue reading “The US Military Is Training Third World Coup Leaders Again”

Is the Biden Administration Trying to Prolong the Ukraine War?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a humanitarian tragedy for that country, and all reasonable people should want the increasingly bloody conflict to end as soon as possible. Policies that the Biden administration is pursuing, however, threaten to prolong the war and its suffering. The troubling question arises about whether Washington’s policies are merely inept, … Continue reading “Is the Biden Administration Trying to Prolong the Ukraine War?”

World War I Hysteria Redux: The Hate Everything Russian Campaign

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered anger, vitriol, and bigotry in the United States and much of the democratic West. It is an atmosphere of intolerance that surpasses the immediate post-9-11 period (especially the lead-up to the Iraq War) and even the height of McCarthyism in the early and mid-1950s. Indeed, it is reminiscent of … Continue reading “World War I Hysteria Redux: The Hate Everything Russian Campaign”