Ivan Eland

Ivan Eland is a senior fellow at the Independent Institute and author of Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty.

Let’s Hope for Continued Fiscal Gridlock

Although President Barack Obama may have won over some key independent voters for the 2012 election by successfully painting the tea party Republicans as extremists responsible for the protracted debt-ceiling gridlock, the outcome for the nation of that policy and media circus may not be so bad. The good news is that the tea party … Continue reading “Let’s Hope for Continued Fiscal Gridlock”

The West Has a Double Standard in Terrorism Cases

The mass slaughter of innocents by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway has highlighted the selective perception of such heinous acts of terrorism by U.S. and Western media. Although those who study terrorism cannot seem to reach a standard definition of terrorism — perhaps because past actions of their own governments might be so classified (for … Continue reading “The West Has a Double Standard in Terrorism Cases”

United States Fails to Stand for Peaceful Change

The Palestinians and other Arabs have long used violence to try to reclaim land taken from them by Israelis. The approach has long been a failure, but anger has long supplanted rationality, thus leading to periodic violent spasms in Palestine for almost a century. Now a potentially more effective weapon is being brandished: peaceful actions … Continue reading “United States Fails to Stand for Peaceful Change”

Sudan’s Lessons for Iraq

Remember the forgotten U.S. war in Iraq? In the Vietnam War, after the start of the “Vietnamization” program, which trained South Vietnamese forces to replace leaving U.S. forces, the world lost interest; people thought “problem solved.” That is, they thought that until the discovery of President Nixon’s escalation of the war in nearby Cambodia while … Continue reading “Sudan’s Lessons for Iraq”

Militarism Is Not Patriotism

Every July 4, the nation’s official birthday, many Americans conflate the U.S. military and what it does abroad with “patriotism.” This past weekend was no exception. Yet there are many things wrong with this line of reasoning. Let’s start with July 4. What happened on July 4, 1776? Actually, not all that much. Although most … Continue reading “Militarism Is Not Patriotism”

Like Nixon, Obama Will Waste Lives to Get Reelected

No one needs to tell the public that politicians are slick — and the ones who get elected are the oiliest. President Obama, in a recent speech announcing the phased withdraw of 33,000 U.S. surge forces from Afghanistan by September 2012, told the country that the United States had largely achieved its goals in Afghanistan … Continue reading “Like Nixon, Obama Will Waste Lives to Get Reelected”

Republicans Bungle War-Powers Pushback

Although John Boehner, speaker of the House of Representatives, laudably sent a recent letter to President Barack Obama suggesting the possibility of a violation of the War Powers Resolution in the attack on Libya, he was 90 days too late. Obama’s violation did not occur this past weekend, but when the first American aircraft attacked … Continue reading “Republicans Bungle War-Powers Pushback”

Triumphalism Hides Many Important Foreign-Policy Failures

Nationalism in many countries prompts their governments to trumpet foreign-policy successes while sweeping disappointments under the rug. The inclination toward such biases may only be human nature, but democracies should also take the difficult step of heeding and analyzing the failures—that is, if they want to embrace truth and avoid the path to authoritarianism. Because … Continue reading “Triumphalism Hides Many Important Foreign-Policy Failures”

Accelerate Withdrawals From Afghanistan and Iraq

The jockeying for position on troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and Iraq continues. Recently, departing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the U.S. military have tried to box the Obama administration into leaving as many troops in Afghanistan as possible. Gates argued that a rapid withdrawal would threaten the gains accrued from the surge of 30,000 … Continue reading “Accelerate Withdrawals From Afghanistan and Iraq”

Obama Should Follow FDR’s Example in Dealing with Generals, Not Lincoln’s

Barack Obama, a president with no prior military experience, has so far cowered in the presence of the military and U.S. defense establishment. The most recent example is the passing-over of Gen. James “Hoss” Cartwright to take over the job of Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the number-one military man … Continue reading “Obama Should Follow FDR’s Example in Dealing with Generals, Not Lincoln’s”