Outside the Beltway

Americans are skeptical about getting involved in the Ukraine crisis. This isn’t a surprise.

Russian invasion or legitimate secessionist movement? And does it matter?

Veteran newsman Garrick Utley has died from prostate cancer at the age of 74.

The bizarre conservative love affair with Vladimir Putin continues.

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

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

Does a determination that NSA data collection practices are likely unconstitutional mean that Edward Snowden’s actions were, in some sense, justified?

David Brooks thinks that the problem with American Government is that the Presidency isn’t strong enough.

The defense authorization law requires the Defense Department to go back to a single camouflage pattern.

The Obama-Castro handshake at Mandela’s funeral has caused a bit of an uproar.

Some on the American right have a very odd view of both Nelson Mandela and the Apartheid regime he fought against.

There are many choices in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program there are many choices, but some are better than others.

The U.S. position on China’s new air defense zone is exceedingly clear. The question is where it goes from here.

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

Conservatives have their own Kennedy myth to compete with the myth of Camelot.

Robert Kagan warns of “a changing world order.” But he’s grasping at rather thin straws.

Relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia seem to have soured in recent years.

If the Syrian civil war is like other civil wars, it’s not ending any time soon.

Tom Clancy, author of dozens of bestselling military thriller novels, has died aged 66.

Presidents have gotten away with ignoring Congress when it comes to foreign military adventures for a very long time.

The Army and Navy are finally doing something about brass bloat.

Andrew Bacevich argues, persuasively, that “absence of leverage does not preclude options” with respect to Egypt.

David C. Jones, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Carter and Reagan, has died.

Chris Christie waded into the debate going on in the GOP over foreign policy. His comments were less than helpful to say the least.

My first piece for RealClearDefense, “Enough with the QDR Hype,” has published.

The military’s finance and accounting system has been dysfunctional for decades and is getting worse.

Military coups used to be far more common than they are today.

The GOP is going to have to come up with a lot more than just age if they end up facing off against Hillary Clinton in 2016.

The blowback from yesterday’s revelations about U.S. surveillance on European allies continues.

The latest NSA leaks are likely to prove to be diplomatically embarrassing.

Some really bad advice for the GOP.

Jerry Brown’s second go-round as governor has been very, very good to the Golden State.

Edward Snowden has likely violated many laws, but, absent additional facts, treason is not one of them.

Does it matter if political leaders like each other on some personal level? Sometimes it does.

The United States is as politically polarized as it was in 1865.

The politics of gun control is not nearly as easy as its supporters believe it to be.

My latest for The National Interest, “Hagel’s Three Questions,” ponders our national security decisionmaking.