Outside the Beltway

Francis Fukuyama: “In the developed world, we take the existence of government so much for granted that we sometimes forget how difficult it was to create.”

A version of a piece I wrote Wednesday, titled “NATO’s Death Greatly Exaggerated,” has finally been published at Foreign Policy under the title “Back in the Saddle: How Libya Helped NATO Get Its Groove Back.”

The law of war is not fully clear when applied to modern conflicts.

Stephen Walt doesn’t expect Obama’s foreign policy to change along with the names on the org chart.

Andrew Bacevich refers to Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice, and Samantha Power as “the Three Harpies.”

My first piece for The American Conservative, which they’ve titled “War Isn’t for Everyone–The military needs civilian control, not citizen soldiers,” is in the May issue.

Should transparency stop at the water’s edge?

Defense Secretary Gates hinted this week that the U.S. would stay in Iraq if the Iraqis wanted. It doesn’t seem like they do.

The Federal government is funding a Pakistan version of Sesame Street for $20 million.

Continuing problems with the coalition operation in Libya reinforce an old military adage: You fight like you train.

Remember when President Obama said there would be “no boots on the ground” in Libya? You didn’t actually believe that, did you?

France’s top court refused to allow French citizenship for 10-year-old twin girls born to a surrogate mother in the United States.

President Obama says he acted in Libya to avert an imminent genocide, but there’s no evidence that any such thing was about to occur.

“She asked for it” is no longer an acceptable argument in rape cases. So, why is a preacher in Florida burning a book being condemned by American political and military leaders for a days-long murder spree in Afghanistan?

The only people responsible for the murders in Afghanistan are the people who committed them, but the demagogues like Terry Jones deserve condemnation as well.

Modern life requires us to put a high degree of trust in those to whom we delegate responsibility

A NATO airstrike killed 13 rebel fighters, who were mistaken for Gaddafi’s forces. Apparently, they were shooting at NATO planes.

A discussion on Terry Jones’ moral culpability for the crazed reaction in Afghanistan to his Koran burning stunt.

If we allow the possible reaction of the most dogmatic, evil people who might hear the message to govern our expression, we don’t have freedom at all.

The New York Times wins for “Afghans Avenge Florida Koran Burning, Killing 12.”

Politicians in office have a nasty habit of behaving completely differently than they promise on the campaign trail.

President Obama has pledged no slaughter and no ground troops for Libya. He may well be forced to pick one.

The groups we supported were defeated by the Taliban in the civil war that followed Soviet withdrawal. The Taliban and Usama bin Laden were supported by the separate “Sayyaf” group of Mujahideen supported by Saudi Arabia and Deobandi fanatics in Pakistan.