The serried ranks of graves at Arlington National Cemetery never fail to simultaneously impress and sadden. So many lives forfeited. So many families bereaved. So many communities disrupted. For what were so many and so much sacrificed? Alas, only rarely for freedom,...
Leaving People Behind After Twenty Years in Afghanistan
Losing a war is never pretty. Leaving behind thousands of people who risked their lives to fight with you is truly ugly. If the Biden administration’s timetable for Afghanistan holds firm, American forces will be home by fall. And a multitude of Afghans will be...
As Seeming Consensus Hardens for Cold – or Even Hot – War Against China
What a difference a presidential campaign and deadly pandemic make. Although the U.S. and People’s Republic of China long had been at odds over important issues, the bilateral relationship remained civil if not always friendly. Despite occasional spats, no one...
Who Elected America To Rule the World?
One aspect of American exceptionalism is undoubtedly true. American policymakers believe that they have been anointed by heaven to rule the world. Just as God cares if a sparrow falls to earth, U.S. officials believe anything anyone does anywhere on the planet is a...
Germany’s Greens Plan a Tough Foreign Policy
Germany will soon have a new chancellor. It could be Annalena Baerbock from the Greens, once a minor party focused on the environment. She promises a tougher foreign policy, but so far refuses to back the stronger military necessary to implement her rhetoric. The...
Europeans Want to Denuclearize Korea: They Should Defend Themselves First
There’s an old saying about opinions that cannot be repeated in polite company. But it applies to the recent statement of the G7 countries about North Korea and nuclear weapons. The seven rich industrialized nations – U.S., Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, France,...
America’s Middle East Embarrassment: Underwriting Apartheid in the Palestinian Territories
The Mideast is aflame as usual. Even Israel is suffering through a seemingly unending election crisis, with a continuing electoral majority for the right but against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a normal world Washington wouldn’t worry about the result, but...
Time for a Foreign Policy of Adequacy, not Primacy
Perhaps the biggest problem with U.S. foreign policy is the belief that Americans are born to rule the world. American exceptionalism means being convinced that citizens of this nation have the mandate of heaven to kill whoever and destroy whatever is necessary to...
Washington War Party Creates Another Organization to Promote Endless Wars
After 20 years of U.S. nation-building in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden ordered a withdrawal. Most Americans backed his decision to stop at least one endless war, but the bipartisan War Party in Washington is horrified. It believes that Americans should be deployed...
The Philippines: America’s Perpetually Useless Ally
China has parked its fishing fleet in waters claimed by the Philippines. Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has fulminated ineffectively. So far, at least, the Biden administration has declined to go to war on Manila’s behalf. But the possibility remains so long as...