Kelley B. Vlahos

Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer, is a longtime political reporter for FoxNews.com and a contributing editor at The American Conservative. She is also a Washington correspondent for Homeland Security Today magazine. Her Twitter account is @KelleyBVlahos.

Truth Emerges About IED Carnage

Gen. David Petraeus has been gone but a month from his role as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, yet we’re already seeing the paint on his Potemkin village peel away to reveal an unseemly rot underneath. That may sound a bit harsh, but there is no better way to describe one of the greatest … Continue reading “Truth Emerges About IED Carnage”

Obama Puts Bombs Before Bread

The television warned that some images might be graphic. What ensued was footage of children and babies, some wailing, most eerily quiet in mothers’ arms, skin and bones and two breaths closer to death. The children of Somalia are dying from starvation. In a region of the world that has been wracked by natural and … Continue reading “Obama Puts Bombs Before Bread”

What Really Goes on in Afghanistan?

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the following in a May 25 press release: Afghan and coalition forces air assaulted into Do-ab district, Nuristan province today to assess insurgent activity. … “We have seen the insurgent claims in the media. Our Afghan and coalition forces are on the ground. There is some fighting however … Continue reading “What Really Goes on in Afghanistan?”

Afghanistan: Leaving as Tragic as Staying

“What do we care?” That’s what Bing West, former assistant secretary of defense and Vietnam veteran, exclaimed when it was suggested that Afghanistan might slip “back into warlordism” if the U.S. military stopped focusing on governance and development there. “The reason we tried nation-building in Afghanistan was because of our hubris, on the one hand, … Continue reading “Afghanistan: Leaving as Tragic as Staying”

Neocons Return to War Debate With a Vengeance

Up until now, the neoconservatives within the national security establishment had been almost demure and decorous, content like cats to paw at the growing number of “isolationists” among the GOP coming out against the U.S. intervention in Libya and for a more rapid withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan. But when President Obama announced his plan … Continue reading “Neocons Return to War Debate With a Vengeance”

Left, Right on a Date in DC

WASHINGTON—What do you get when you talk Pat Buchanan in a room in which every liberal peace and civil rights icon—from Gandhi to Rosa Parks to the Dalai Lama—is looking down like the immortals in a sort of benign judgment from a giant mural on the wall? For one, the lightning doesn’t strike and the … Continue reading “Left, Right on a Date in DC”

Diplomat: I Helped Lose Hearts and Minds in Iraq

Peter Van Buren is not your typical American bureaucrat. As a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department, he does not put his head down, he does not keep his mouth closed, and he doesn’t put his 23-year career in front of the good of the country. He doesn’t even know how long it … Continue reading “Diplomat: I Helped Lose Hearts and Minds in Iraq”

CNAS Conference Becomes ‘Thumbsucker’

This is the fourth year I’ve attended and written about the perennial flocking of Washington’s military courtier class, otherwise known as the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) annual conference, always at the luxurious Willard Continental Hotel, always attended by thousands of dark blue suits and an impressive contingent of active duty military officers. … Continue reading “CNAS Conference Becomes ‘Thumbsucker’”