Outside the Beltway

Not surprisingly, John Bolton has some links to particularly shady people on the right.

The incoming National Security Advisor reportedly wants to purge those who aren’t sycophants.

From Europe to the Middle East, to Asia, America’s allies are concerned about what the selection of John Bolton as National Security Adviser means going forward. They should be, and so should every American.

Top White House staffers were preparing to fire several troublesome figures at once when the President suddenly upended the plan.

Americans actings as agents for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been working hard to manipulate the President.

President Trump continues to obsequiously praise Russian President Vladimir Putin

The special counsel may be moving beyond the 2016 campaign and into post-election obstruction of justice.

The Trump presidency is the latest step in treating commentators like policy experts. It is all a manifestation of how the modern GOP is a populist party.

H.R. McMaster appears to be on the way out as National Security Adviser. The important question is, who replaces him?

The selection of Mike Pompeo as the next Secretary of State makes it more likely that President Trump will take the foolish and dangerous step of withdrawing the United States from the nuclear deal with Iran.

The nominations of Mike Pompeo and Gina Haspel could be in trouble in the Senate.

While the nature of Rex Tillerson’s firing as Secretary of State was shocking in its abruptness, taken in context with the rocky nature of his tenure it was hardly surprising.

Rex Tillerson was an awful Secretary of State who simply had to go, It’s quite possible his successor will be an even greater disaster.

Next up: Pompeo

By threatening to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran, Donald Trump is making it far less likely that any upcoming talks with North Korea will succeed.

Talking to adversaries is a good idea. Of course, it matters how it is done.

North Korea’s Dear Leader has baited the President of the United States into a trap.

After skipping such events in his first thirteen months in office, the President tried his hand at stand-up last night to mixed reviews.

John Bolton is leading a cry for preemptive war against North Korea.

Staffers are fleeing the administration like rats from a sinking ship.

With the Winter Olympics over, the next step on the Korean Peninsula is utterly unclear.

Jonathan Bernstein thinks so and Chuck Todd and company outline a pretty strong case.

President Trump has announced a new round of sanctions against North Korea, but they are unlikely to work given the unrealistic nature of the Administration’s current policy toward North Korea.

Continuing a long-standard tradition, the Trump Administration claims it doesn’t need to get legal authorization to keep American troops in Syria.

President Trump’s tweets, other public statements, and actions are causing world leaders to doubt the reliability of the United States on the world stage.

Another day, another Court ruling against the Trump Administration.

Israeli police have recommended that charges be brought against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Whether that damages him politically remains to be seen.

Why does the U.S. continue to pursue the seemingly impossible goal of denuclearization with regard to North Korea? In part, it’s because we’re still locked into thirty-year-old rhetoric.

A Federal Judge In Kansas has blocked enforcement of a state law barring anyone who does business with the state from engaging in a boycott of Israel.

My latest for The National Interest takes a contrarian view on the new National Defense Strategy.

When it comes to foreign policy, Donald Trump has no over-arching philosophy and little knowledge, so don’t expect anything approaching a coherent doctrine from his Administration.

The President talked about national unity last night, but given his own rhetoric as a candidate and as a President, it’s a call that seems to be hypocritical.

The Trump Administration has acted in a manner to create the impression that there is “no daylight” between the United States and Israel. This is a myth, and pursuing such a goal poses real dangers for America’s national interests.

Despite mounting evidence and outrageous behavior, Republicans nationwide and on Capitol Hill continue to do the Administration’s dirty work. They’ll most likely live to regret it.

America’s closest European allies are rebuffing the Trump Administration’s efforts to renegotiate the nuclear deal with Iran. They’re right to do so.

President Trump has alienated America’s allies and friends, and they are acting accordingly.

Americans were once largely united in their opinions about Israel and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. That’s not the case anymore.

While everyone is paying attention to the government shutdown, the Trump Administration is preparing for a never-ending, unwise, and unauthorized military commitment in Syria.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the Government’s appeal of the Trump Administration’s revised Muslim Travel Ban

Two Republicans spoke out today against the President’s war on the news media, but don’t expect their colleagues to follow suit.

America’s closest allies sent a strong signal that they do not agree with President Trump on the nuclear deal with Iran.

POTUS decided to start the New Year by insulting Pakistan over Twitter.

Anti-government protests are spreading in Iran.

Late yesterday, a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling striking down the latest version of Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban.

Donald Trump’s foreign policy has been erratic, illogical, and demonstrated a clear disdain for diplomacy.

The Supreme Court is allowing the latest version of Donald Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban to go into effect.

It appears that Rex Tillerson’s days at the State Department may be numbered, but his proposed replacement leaves a lot to be desired.

The first in an occasional series.

President Trump remains the most unpopular newly elected President since the end of the Second World War, and there’s no sign that will change.