Posts by James Joyner

James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is a Professor of Security Studies. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.
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Rolex Protecting its Brand By Selling Secondhand Rolexes

The crazy world of luxury timepieces.

President Donald Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Monday, August 18, 2025, in the Oval Office President Donald Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Monday, August 18, 2025, in the Oval Office

Trump and Zelensky to Discuss Peace Plan

Ukraine’s president is trying to negotiate a deal that Russia will surely reject.

Betty Boop, Nancy Drew, and Others Entering Public Domain

Thousands of works from 1930 will lose copyright protection with the New Year.

Sporting Cultures

A clash between American and European models.

The Affordability Conundrum

The fixes people want won’t help and those that will help, people don’t want.

President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd after delivering remarks on the economy at the Rocky Mount Event Center in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on Friday, December 19, 2025. President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd after delivering remarks on the economy at the Rocky Mount Event Center in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on Friday, December 19, 2025.

US Struck ISIS Targets in Nigeria on Christmas

(More than) 12 Tomahawks a-bombing.

Boxing Day Forum

Legal Extortion

A bad year for OTB.

Another Brick Out the Wall

Don’t tell me there’s no hope at all

Shifting Vibes?

If the politics of cruelty has peaked, what follows?

Long-Term Consequences

Gone, gone, the damage done.

U.S. Congresswoman and United Nations Ambassador nominee Elise Stefanik speaking at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. U.S. Congresswoman and United Nations Ambassador nominee Elise Stefanik speaking at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

Stefanik Drops Out of Governor’s Race, Leaving Congress

Everybody knows you never go full MAGA.

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Radical Reorganization of Military Commands

The biggest reform in generations is being proposed.

Tuesday’s Forum

Rob Reiner at the Montclair Film Festival 2016. Rob Reiner at the Montclair Film Festival 2016.

Rob Reiner, 1947-2025

The great director and actor was killed, along with his wife, apparently by their son.

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Baby Farming

The most bizarre report I’ve seen in some time.

Sunday’s Forum

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The GOP’s ObamaCare Dilemma

They hate the program but have no viable alternative.

Referee, American football game, stadium. Referee, American football game, stadium.

Who’ll Make the College Football Playoff?

The Committee has some hard choices to make.

An America First Security Strategy

With a heavy dose of Christian nationalism.

Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace

I guess this means it’s open again.

President Donald Trump thanks the crowd after remarks at the Salute to America Celebration, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. President Donald Trump thanks the crowd after remarks at the Salute to America Celebration, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.

Trump Wants ‘Garbage’ Somalis Out

The President minced no words.

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Getting Old in America

It beats the alternative but it ain’t for sissies.

It’s a Very, Very Mad World

I find it hard to take.

Hegseth Ordered ‘No Quarter’ for Drug Boats

A clear violation of the laws of war. But do they apply?

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DC Shooter Was Part of CIA-Directed Unit

A childhood friend claims he had PTSD from his actions.

Trump to ‘Permanently Pause’ Immigration from Poor Countries

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for.

Rubio Orders Pressure on Mass Migration

The State Department will be pressing our closest allies to control their borders.

Two National Guardsmen Shot in DC

A suspect, an Afghan national, is in custody.

Trump Bows To Reality, Says Release Epstein Files

After months of demanding Republicans resist, he says “We have nothing to hide.”

A U.S. Border Patrol agent and CBP representative discuss U.S. Customs and Border Protection pedestrian border barrier requirements near Lukeville, Arizona, May 7. USACE is supporting the Department of Homeland Security's request to build pedestrian fencing, construct and improve roads, and install lighting within the Yuma and Tucson, Arizona, U.S. Border Patrol sectors following the Feb. 15 national emergency declaration on the southern border of the United States. The Department of Defense has the authority under Section 284 of Title 10, U.S. Code, to construct roads and fences and to install lighting to block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotics activities of federal law enforcement agencies. A U.S. Border Patrol agent and CBP representative discuss U.S. Customs and Border Protection pedestrian border barrier requirements near Lukeville, Arizona, May 7. USACE is supporting the Department of Homeland Security's request to build pedestrian fencing, construct and improve roads, and install lighting within the Yuma and Tucson, Arizona, U.S. Border Patrol sectors following the Feb. 15 national emergency declaration on the southern border of the United States. The Department of Defense has the authority under Section 284 of Title 10, U.S. Code, to construct roads and fences and to install lighting to block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotics activities of federal law enforcement agencies.

Department of Deportation

Surging resources to immigration enforcement comes with tradeoffs.

Americans Ambivalent on Extrajudicial Killing

Support is low, but opposition is tepid.

Not Ready for a Female President?

Michelle Obama thinks so.

Epstein Files Discharge Petition Reaches Target

Newly-Sworn-in-Rep. Grijalva provides the final signature.

‘A Moratorium on Mischief’

What the shutdown should have been about.

The free high-resolution photo of board, game, play, number, color, business, yellow, competition, strategy, games, shape, pieces, win, indoor games and sports, tabletop game , taken with an SLT-A58 03/10 2017 The picture taken with 35.0mm, f/1.8s, 1/30s, ISO 100 The free high-resolution photo of board, game, play, number, color, business, yellow, competition, strategy, games, shape, pieces, win, indoor games and sports, tabletop game , taken with an SLT-A58 03/10 2017 The picture taken with 35.0mm, f/1.8s, 1/30s, ISO 100

Politics Isn’t Just a Game

There are real life consequences.

Eight Democrats Break Ranks to End Filibuster

A lot of pain for . . . not much.

Airlines Managing Flight Delays. For Now.

Things will get radically worse if the shutdown doesn’t end soon.

Google-Disney Standoff Leaves Football Fans in the Dark

ABC and ESPN networks are off YouTubeTV for a second weekend.

SCOTUS Blocks Order for Full SNAP Payments

It’s not what you think.

Saturday’s Forum

Nancy Pelosi to Retire

The octogenarian Speaker Emerita will not seek re-election.

The Shutdown Nonsense Drags On

Democrats are digging in.

Democrats Win Off-Off Year Elections They Were Expected to Win

And what it means for 2024 and beyond.

The Longest Government Shutdown in US History

The standoff is in its 35th day.

Dick Cheney, 1941-2025

The former Defense Secretary and Vice President is gone at 84.

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Trump Says War Powers Act Doesn’t Apply to Cartel Strikes

It’s not an unprecedented stance.

Judges Order Administration to Pay SNAP Benefits

It turns out that mandatory spending is, well, mandatory.

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Saturday Tabs

Shutdown Winding Down?

The light at the end of the tunnel is a train.