Ted Galen Carpenter

Ted Galen Carpenter, Senior Fellow at the Randolph Bourne Institute, is the author of 13 books and more than 1,100 articles on international affairs. Dr. Carpenter held various senior policy positions during a 37-year career at the Cato institute. His latest book is Unreliable Watchdog: The News Media and U.S. Foreign Policy (2022).

Americans Need to Acknowledge Washington’s Wartime Atrocities

Renewed attention on two historical episodes has revived debate about the wartime conduct of the United States. One was the release in theaters of the movie Oppenheimer, which highlights the role played by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in developing the first atomic bomb. The other episode was the 70th anniversary of the Korea Armistice, which … Continue reading “Americans Need to Acknowledge Washington’s Wartime Atrocities”

FBI Serves as a Conduit for Ukraine’s Censorship Campaign

The U.S. government has long tolerated and excused Ukraine’s authoritarian behavior even as Washington and its NATO partners have lavished financial and military aid on Kyiv. Evidence has now emerged, though, that the US national security apparatus has actively assisted Volodymr Zelensky’s regime to undermine the Constitutional rights of Americans. CNN notes damning revelations in … Continue reading “FBI Serves as a Conduit for Ukraine’s Censorship Campaign”

Uncle Sam, War Criminal

This originally appeared at the Future of Freedom Foundation. U.S. officials invariably stress their commitment to human rights and are extremely quick to condemn other countries for alleged violations. However, Washington’s conduct too often makes a mockery of that supposed commitment. The latest examples of such hypocrisy are two aspects of U.S. policy regarding the … Continue reading “Uncle Sam, War Criminal”

Would Ukraine’s Formal Membership in NATO Really Matter?

During the prelude to the NATO summit in Vilnius, there was extensive speculation about whether Ukraine would be given a clear path to membership in the alliance, with a specific timeline. Much to the disappointment of Ukraine’s government and its ardent supporters in the West, NATO leaders opted for a more limited commitment. In the … Continue reading “Would Ukraine’s Formal Membership in NATO Really Matter?”

Can Washington Be Saved from Itself at the NATO Summit?

Several crucial decisions likely will be made at this week’s NATO summit meeting. The most important of all involves Ukraine’s application to join the Alliance. Zealotry for Ukraine in some NATO capitals is so strong that that a path to membership for that country is being considered even in the midst of an ongoing war … Continue reading “Can Washington Be Saved from Itself at the NATO Summit?”

Washington’s Resurgent Military Presence in the Philippines Provokes China

When the last U.S. troops left the Philippines in the early 1990s, the prevailing assumption was that an extremely close military relationship between Washington and Manila would be just another relic of the Cold War. The decision by the Philippines Senate not to renew the US leases on Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval … Continue reading “Washington’s Resurgent Military Presence in the Philippines Provokes China”

US Hypocrisy About Chinese Spy Base in Cuba

Reports that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was constructing a base in Cuba devoted to spying on the United States immediately generated concern among members of America’s foreign policy establishment. Now that U.S. intelligence agencies contend that Beijing is expanding a small facility that has operated since 2019, concern has risen toward outright alarm. … Continue reading “US Hypocrisy About Chinese Spy Base in Cuba”

Washington’s Continuing Shame in Syria

This originally appeared at the Future of Freedom Foundation. Recent news reports indicate that the Biden administration is orchestrating an agreement between two insurgent groups in northeastern Syria to continue preventing the national government of Bashar al-Assad from regaining control of that region. If true, Washington’s conduct in Syria has reached a new low in … Continue reading “Washington’s Continuing Shame in Syria”

The Big Lie That Won’t Die: Trump as Putin’s Puppet

Some foreign policy myths are so entrenched and tenacious that no amount of evidence seems able to dislodge them. An especially prominent one in recent years is that Donald Trump was Vladimir Putin’s puppet and adopted shameful policies that appeased Moscow. The latest example of that pervasive smear was an article by Peggy Noonan in … Continue reading “The Big Lie That Won’t Die: Trump as Putin’s Puppet”

The Biden Administration’s Latest Tone-Deaf Foreign Policy Positions

U.S. leaders rarely have been noted for being able to gauge changing sentiment in the international arena and adjusting their foreign policy accordingly. The Biden administration, however, may be setting new records for the tone-deaf quality of its policies. Three incidents in the past few weeks illustrate the problem. There has been obvious movement in … Continue reading “The Biden Administration’s Latest Tone-Deaf Foreign Policy Positions”