Another War on the Cheap

There has been altogether too much stuff in the media lately about how Iran is not really a threat to anyone and how even some prominent Israelis don’t really believe that they have to go to war (or have Washington go to war on their behalf). It was perhaps inevitable...

read more

How the Swiss Opted Out of War

Switzerland has not been in a foreign war of any kind since 1815. This would be astounding, even miraculous, for any nation. But Switzerland borders Germany. And France. And Italy. And Austria. And Liechtenstein. Now the Vaduz regime has rarely lashed out in...

read more

Iraq: 17 Executed Ahead of Amnesty Law

The question of Iraqi detentions took another serious turn today as authorities announced the execution of 17 individuals. For years the government has held many innocent Iraqis in jail. Some of them may see freedom soon, but for those targeted by the government for political reasons, an quick resolution may only come through the death penalty. At least nine Iraqis were killed and 16 more were wounded in new attacks.
read more

No Exit in the Persian Gulf?

When it comes to U.S. policy toward Iran, irony is the name of the game. Where to begin? The increasingly fierce sanctions that the Obama administration is seeking to impose on that country’s oil business will undoubtedly cause further problems for its economy and...

read more

Ronald Reagan Certainly Was
No Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich — campaigning with Ronald Reagan’s son Michael — has, as many recent Republican candidates have before him, tried to tie himself closely to the legacy of the “Gipper.” Yet if the mirage of Ronald Reagan as a fiscal conservative, manufactured in the late...

read more

Iraq in Retrospect

Long out of the news, Iraq – you remember Iraq? – is falling apart. The “government” is in chaos, with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at war with Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, whom he accuses of “terrorism.” Days after ending his...

read more

The Pentagon Pitches Its New Strategic Narrative

A proposal for a new “grand strategy,” aimed at mobilizing broad domestic support for a decades-long projection of U.S. global power, is currently receiving considerable attention among an expanding circle of foreign policy planners, think-tank academics,...

read more