Peter Van Buren

You have to negotiate with your enemies. Fact of life, whether they are autocrats or segregationist Senators. They “have” what you want, the power to stop you from achieving your goals. And of course you have to give something up, nobody surrenders power or nukes for free. This is nothing new. Call it Diplomacy 101. … Continue reading “North Korea: Call It Diplomacy 101, Not a Photo Op”

After a week in which Buzzfeed published the false claim Donald Trump told Michael Cohen to lie to Congress, quickly followed by a tsunami of inaccurate reporting over a bunch of Covington high school kids and their MAGA hats, it’s time to ask: What happens if political journalism can’t snap back from its current state … Continue reading “What if Political Journalism Really Can’t Snap Back From Tabloidization?”

Here’s what got Secretary of Defense James Mattis all worked up! Even as what should have been a quick 2001 strike into Afghanistan bogged down into the quagmire of nation building, George W. Bush in 2003 invaded Iraq. The pretenses were all false. Terrorism was the excuse, American control over the region the goal. “Winning” … Continue reading “A Short History of How the US Went to War in Syria”

The Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi story will someday be seen by historians (not in the US) as a near-perfect example of the failure of American policy in the Middle East begetting more failure. Only ignorance of history and the amazing sheepishness of the American people to have their opinions spoon fed to them will make things … Continue reading “Saudi Arabia: Brothers in Foreign Policy Crime”

What is the state of diplomacy on the Korean peninsula? Are we again heading toward the lip of war, or is progress being made at an expected pace? Are there Asian Neocons fanning the flames for conflict in Pyongyang much as others did with Baghdad? A year ago, in November 2017, John Brennan estimated the … Continue reading “Deception in North Korea? Nope, But a New Flavor of Neocon”

Here’s an excerpt from my new book, Hooper’s War: A Novel of WWII Japan, on sale now at Amazon. This excerpt is told from the perspective of the main character, Lieutenant Nate Hooper. I’m lucky enough to have a friend with a boat. Sitting at the stern, I watch the boat create its wake, then … Continue reading “For Veteran’s Day: Understanding Moral Injury in Hooper’s War”

A leaky little “bird” inside Twitter tells me these are the tweets that got me banned for life. I have no way of verifying this; official Twitter will not respond to my inquiries. I stand accused of dehumanizing several reporters (“targeted abuse”), using words to offend them into silence. It seems now you can judge … Continue reading “The Offending Tweets That Got Me Banned for Life From Twitter”

A foreign policy crisis is coming May 12. President Donald Trump’s likely decision on that day to not continue waiving sanctions on Iran under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will significantly increase the chances of war. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by China, Russia, and most of western Europe requires the … Continue reading “US Is Playing With Fire if It Walks Away From the Iran Nuclear Deal on May 12”

Despite the lofty title, in A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership James Comey comes across in turns petty, smug, sanctimonious, bitter, and most of all, pandering. Comey feeds the rubes exactly what they paid the carnival sideshow barker in front at Barnes and Noble to hear: the pee tape, the jokes about small hands, … Continue reading “James Comey’s Book Is Mostly About Making Jim Comey Rich”

A bipartisan group of lawmakers called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate if Al Jazeera, the news outlet connected to the Qatari government, should register with the Justice Department as an agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA.) This has broad implications for our First Amendment, our access to dissenting opinions, and in … Continue reading “FARA: Freedom of the Press, But On the Government’s Terms”