Doug Bandow

The U.S. is a wreck. Streets are filled with protesters. Neighborhoods are looted and burned. Extremists seized city hall and the surrounding neighborhood in the progressive city of Seattle. American politics is hyper-partisan, divided and hostile, even hateful. The economic decline remains at depression levels, with major cities only now loosening shutdowns. Many small businesses … Continue reading “Foreign Policy Establishment Has Collective Mental Breakdown: America Must Forever Defend Everyone”

After threatening to divorce America and rush into China’s arms, the Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte, as coarse, myopic, and impulsive as President Donald Trump, reconsidered. Predictably but unfortunately, he decided that the onetime U.S. conquest and dependent should remain on America’s defense dole. Washington is still expected to go to war to protect not only … Continue reading “America Should Stop Defending the Philippines Like It Was a Vital Interest”

President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to remove 9,500 U.S troops from Germany by September. He also set a firm cap of 25,000, instead of allowing the number to swell to 52,000 as units rotate through or deploy for training. It is a good start. But why did it take him more than three … Continue reading “Time To Pull the Troops From NATO: What Good Is an Alliance Full of Cheap-Riders?”

Under President Donald Trump America has become the angry giant. Washington issues its orders to the rest of the world almost daily. But the U.S. directives are routinely ignored. Leading to more and tougher demands. And even greater resistance. The problem is not just with America’s adversaries, such as North Korea and increasingly China. The … Continue reading “Washington’s Double Failure Against Iran and Venezuela”

Another Memorial Day, another holiday filled with politicians rhapsodizing about the valiant sacrifices of courageous military men and women. Freedom isn’t free, we are told, as high officials extol the armed services for protecting Americans’ liberties. It sounds so glorious. Especially eloquent tend to be the chicken hawks and summer patriots who had "other priorities" … Continue reading “How To Honor Memorial Day: Stop Sacrificing Troops in Endless Wars”

Many observers have been mystified by the Saudi regime’s hold over President Donald Trump. For years he had criticized the gaggle of corrupt, dissolute royals. He also asked why Americans were paying to defend the wealthy, licentious al-Saud family, as it practiced totalitarianism at home and promoted Islamic fundamentalism abroad, including in America. Yet Trump … Continue reading “The Trump Administration Kills Coldly in Yemen, Putting Jobs Before Lives”

Ben Rhodes, who served as President Barack Obama’s deputy national security adviser, labeled the nation’s foreign policy elite as "the Blob." Members of this well-educated, well-connected group disagree on peripherals but agree on essentials of foreign policy. Their almost unanimous bottom line is that the U.S. government must run the world. The result over the … Continue reading “The Foreign Policy Blob Strikes Back: We’re Just Fine, Proclaim Architects of Endless Wars”

It has been nearly a decade since Libyan dictator Moammar Khadafy suffered an ugly demise at the hands of insurgents. Few mourned his passing. When asked about his fate, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cackled maniacally: "We came, we saw, he died." American and European officials declared success. Another dictator down, freedom on the march, … Continue reading “Ten Years After Regime Change: Libyans Are Dying Because of American Arrogance”

The Trump administration is edging America toward the exit in Afghanistan, nearly two decades after President George W. Bush intervened in the aftermath of 9/11. The U.S. quickly dispersed Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda and ousted the Taliban, only to spend the following years failing to build a stable, liberal democracy centered in Kabul. America’s extended … Continue reading “Two Decades of War in Afghanistan Is Enough”

Washington’s policy toward Korea – both Koreas, actually – isn’t going well. President Donald Trump calls the North’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un his "friend," but Kim might be on his deathbed, incapacitated, or just hiding out to confuse his adversaries. In any case, the two haven’t talked since last summer, after a brief handshake while … Continue reading “Time To Get the Hell Out of Korea”