Doug Bandow

The "Lift Sanctions, Save Lives" network is lobbying Congress to do what it should have done years ago: assess the impact of economic sanctions now routinely applied to ally as well as adversary. Such a review is long overdue. Economic sanctions have become a new global battlefield. In July Beijing targeted several organizations and individuals, … Continue reading “Time for Washington To Stop Sanctioning the World: US Arrogance Leaves Trail of Innocent Victims Behind”

Americans are tired of war. They want the U.S. to be involved in the world. But they prefer to send diplomats rather than soldiers to solve problems. In short, Americans are over the Neocon moment when war was seen as the solution to most foreign problems. And Washington elites decided that "the price is worth … Continue reading “Americans Are Tired of War: Could Ancient Warrior Joe Biden Inaugurate a New Age of Diplomacy?”

President Joe Biden did what his three predecessors could or would not: halt a seemingly endless war. It took two decades, but American troops no longer are fighting in Afghanistan. An important aspect of the US withdrawal was closing Washington’s bases, which once spread across the country. Uncle Sam left Bagram Air Base, America’s biggest … Continue reading “750 Bases in 80 Countries Is Too Many for Any Nation: Time for the US To Bring Its Troops Home”

The Europeans are in a whiny mood. So what else is new, you ask? True, but the Biden presidency was supposed to be a halcyon time for Euro-enthusiasts. Senator and Vice President Joe Biden was the ultimate Atlanticist. Candidate Biden ran promising to restore America’s alliances, widely interpreted as doing ever more for and giving … Continue reading “Europeans Whine That US Is Unreliable: Time for Them To Take Over Responsibility for Their Own Security”

President Joe Biden began his presidency with a promise to confront Saudi Arabia and treat the murderous regime as a "pariah." In particular, he pledged to end "all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales." Yet nearly eight months later little has changed. The president undercut his initial … Continue reading “Humanitarian Crisis Ravages Yemen: Yet Biden Administration Continues To Service Saudi War Machine”

America exists. Therefore it must save the world. That appears to be the view of Foreign Policy columnist Anchal Vohra. Mixing disappointment and shock, she observed: "Unfortunately for Lebanon, the United States has no active plan to rescue the country – nor is there any indication that one is in the works." The obvious question … Continue reading “US Can’t Save the World: That Includes Lebanon”

The failure of America’s expensive Potemkin regime in Afghanistan triggered predictable wailing and caterwauling by members of Washington’s War Party. In their view the U.S. can never leave any conflict anywhere at any time lest no one ever again believe that America will defend even itself in the future. Abandon Kabul today and the Russians … Continue reading “Afghan Withdrawal Enhances Long-Term US Credibility”

A celebrated ancient empire, Egypt was later ruled by other empires old and new. In 1952 the country went from monarchy to military rule. Until the 2011 Arab Spring explosion, which topped the Mubarak dictatorship, the armed forces kept control through military men turned civilian politicians. Two years later Egypt returned to military tyranny. In … Continue reading “Egypt Murders Its Citizens With Little Complaint From Washington”

Washington’s sole success in the 9/11 wars was Afghanistan. Barely two months after the destruction of the Twin Towers and strike on the Pentagon, U.S. forces had wrecked al-Qaeda and defeated the Taliban. With a little more effort, Osama bin Laden might have been captured during the battle at Tora Bora; with a little more … Continue reading “9/11: The War On Terror Wasn’t Supposed To End This Way”

NATO’s European members are in one of their periodic states of funk. When Joe Biden was elected president, they believed that the good times were back, with Washington unashamedly putting them first. Then Biden withdrew U.S. forces from Afghanistan – without asking the continent’s permission. What followed was much whining and caterwauling about Europe’s lack … Continue reading “When Foreign Policy Becomes Farce: Bring Brazil Into NATO?”