Doug Bandow

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spent his final days in office committing political terrorism, planting foreign policy landmines to hinder incoming President Joe Biden. One of his cruelest actions was to charge the Yemeni Houthis with being a terrorist organization. He cited missile attacks on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia. That is a war crime, … Continue reading “Trump Administration Commits Another War Crime in Yemen”

Starting last Spring the coronavirus pandemic kept me at home, encouraging me to watch webinars. Many webinars. Washington, D.C.’s gaggle of think tanks have filled online space with seemingly endless discussions of what to do about the world. With an emphasis on do. Members of the infamous Blob, the Washington foreign policy establishment, bridle at … Continue reading “Endless Interventionist Clichés: Washington’s Bipartisan War Party is Never at a Loss on Why War Is Necessary”

For nearly four years the Trump ship of state sailed into storms, crashed into reefs, collided with other vessels, and scraped across sand bars. Again and again it almost went under the waves, barely righting itself and staying afloat by desperate baling by its motley crew. And through it all President Donald Trump racked up … Continue reading “The Trump Tragedy: The President Who Started No Wars Abroad Destroyed His Legacy at Home”

It took a particularly perverse and misguided mindset to watch the tragic collapse of Syria and insist that Washington intervene. One of the most important benefits of living in a nation that is stable politically (well, sort of these days!) and prosperous economically is to escape precisely that sort of devastating collapse. The U.S. government’s … Continue reading “Washington’s Endless Policy Bankruptcy in Syria”

The bipartisan War Party will be firmly in control in Washington, D.C. when Joe Biden becomes president. He supported most conflicts waged by the U.S. since he entered the Senate in 1973. Those tapped to lead his foreign policy are architects of such disasters as inflaming a Libyan civil war now in its ninth year … Continue reading “World War I Redux: Setting Up Tripwires to War”

President Donald Trump, having launched brutal economic war against Iran while ordering the assassination of one of its top officials, appears shocked that Tehran keeps firing back, most recently at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. He remains full of threats, even though Secretary of State Mike Pompeo withdrew some embassy personnel and considered closing the … Continue reading “When Washington Sends a Message by Threatening War, Other Countries Hear ‘Build Nukes!’”

The Georgia Senate run-off has turned into a desperate political gunfight. If Republicans take at least one seat, they retain control of the Senate. If Democrats take both seats, the two parties will be tied and Vice President Kamala Harris, as the body’s presiding officer, will break the deadlock. The margin will be small in … Continue reading “The Race for the US Senate: Why Should Americans Care What Candidates Think of Israel?”

Europe is aglow with rosy predictions of friendlier relations with the U.S. Although warning that the world will not automatically revert to January 2017, many European officials are almost giddy at the prospect of America being "back," which they hope means handling the continent’s defense with minimal whining about burden sharing. Jana Puglierin of the … Continue reading “The Danger of Europhilia: Joe Biden Should Stop Treating NATO as ‘North America and The Others’”

The Turkish-American marriage, solemnized by Ankara’s accession to NATO in 1952, is on the rocks. The partners were ill-matched from the beginning but stayed together so long as the Soviet threat loomed and the Turkish military was in charge. The Evil Empire, as Ronald Reagan characterized it, disappeared more than three decades ago. Nearly two … Continue reading “US Goes to Economic War Against NATO Ally Turkey: Time for a Civil Divorce?”

One of the unequivocal losers in the election of Joe Biden as president would appear to be Russia. Although President Donald Trump offered Moscow little more than rhetoric, while acquiescing to a succession of congressional and bureaucratic attacks, chances of conflict little increased. In contrast, Biden appears seriously deluded about the potential threat and determined … Continue reading “Joe Biden Confronts Russia: The Problem of Diplomacy Without Compromise”