Outside the Beltway

New York has joined nine other states and the District of Columbia to vote to for an Electoral College bypass.

Middle East peace talks are apparently in such bad shape that the U.S. is thinking of releasing Jonathan Pollard as an incentive to Israel.

The future may hold a lot of vehement arguing over insignificant bits of territory.

Benjamin Wallace-Wells wonders with some irritation “Why Henry Kissinger Never Goes Away.”

More on the pending referendum and some thoughts on elections in authoritarian contexts.

Why do dictators feel the need to pretend that they have the consent of the people over whom they rule?

The West owes Ukraine nothing.

The bizarre conservative love affair with Vladimir Putin continues.

President Obama is rewarding unqualified hacks who raised huge sums for his campaign with ambassadorships.

The Cold War may be over, but the negative opinions in the U.S. regarding Russia and its leadership seem to have continued.

Polarization is not the cause of our problems.

Former SecDef Robert Gates is among those who believes that the Iraq War unduly diverted attention from fighting the War On Terror.

In a new interview, Edward Snowden explains his motives for absconding from the country with NSA secrets.

Newly disclosed details about the US role in Colombia.

Vladimir Putin seems to be getting a lot of love from cultural conservatives in the United States.

Felons! Foreigners! When will the madness end?

Democracy was nice while it lasted.

The most important leader to come out of Africa in the 20th Century, and perhaps in all of history, has died.

A third term for any of these guys? Don’t count on it.

When worlds collide.

Ken Cuccinelli still hasn’t called to congratulate Terry McAuliffe. Why does this odd custom continue?

The economy of the Euro Zone remains in quiet dire straits, unless you’re lucky enough to live in Germany.

NSA Director General Keith Alexander really doesn’t like the idea of a free press.

The latest revelations about National Security Agency surveillance outside the United States have caused quite an uproar overseas.

My review of Andrew Bacevich’s latest book, Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country.

The argument that the Roberts Court has been overly “activist” does not hold up to examination.

So much for the most transparent Administration in history.

The U.S. sends a mostly weak signal to the Egyptian military.

The situation we currently find oursevles in is very much driven by structural issues.

I’ve been up since 3 am and drinking since 6 pm, so my reaction to a presidential war speech at 9 am may not be the definitive word

Even before the Russian curve ball, the public opposition to military strikes on Syria was mounting.

Opposing interventionism and unnecessary and unwise military engagements is not isolationism.

Given that the vote count seems to be heading that way, this is a question worth examination.

Score one for Team Bush?

Persuasion is sometimes an important part of being president.

Some thoughts on reform.

Virginia Tech English prof Steven Salaita implores us to “Stop saying ‘support the troops.'”

In both Egypt and Syria, it’s damned if we do and damned if we don’t.

Walter Russell Mead explains why a well intentioned, carefully crafted and consistently pursued grand strategy failed.

The Obama administration has issued a strongly worded statement on this morning’s massacre by the Egyptian government.