Outside the Beltway

Even the people hired to advice Ben Carson on foreign policy seem to recognize that he is clueless on the subject, and has no apparent desire to educate himself.

Republicans insist that uttering the words “Radical Islamic Terrorism” is somehow important in the fight against ISIS and other terror networks, but it is entirely unclear what doing so would accomplish.

Syrian refugees have quickly become political footballs in the United States in the wake of the Paris attacks, and it’s become an exceedingly shameful display of pandering and fearmongering by a group of largely Republican politicians.

Confirming speculation that had already been all but confirmed, we now know that it was a bomb that brought down a Russian passenger jet on October 31st.

In the wake of the attacks in Paris, there’s a strong impulse to do “something,” but that doesn’t mean we should do something utterly foolish. And a no-fly zone would be utterly foolish.

Much more so than in the past, the race for the Republican Presidential race has become a battle to define what it means to be a ‘conservative.’ Especially on issues like immigration and national security, one side seems to be winning the battle.

France launched its first attacks against ISIS even as the investigation into Friday’s attacks continues, but it’s not clear that the retaliation really accomplished anything.

The initial responses of the Republican candidates for President to the attacks in Paris are about what you’d expect, but it’s far too early to tell what impact the events of the weekend will have on the race for President here in the United States.

The news that at least some of the men who were involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris were among the refugees who have arrived in Europe since the summer is likely to complicate an already complicated situation.

We are legally, morally, and practically obligated to respond. Let’s not do so stupidly.

A Saturday night debate wasn’t likely to get much attention to begin with. A Saturday night debate in the wake of a major terrorist attack, and a major football game for Iowa’s premier college football team, likely got even less attention. That’s probably good news for Hillary Clinton, and bad news for her two remaining rivals.

We can draw a rather direct line from the Iraq war to the rise of ISIS.

Reports of at least up to sixty dead, a hostage situation, and attacks at multiple locations in Paris.

Donald Trump’s latest tirade has led to another round of speculation as to whether or not he’s ‘gone too far’ and reached the beginning of the end of his campaign. Don’t count on it.

Ben Carson displays incoherence and ignorance on foreign policy issues that disqualify him from being considered a serious candidate for President of the United States.

In the wake of President Obama’s to send Special Forces to Syria, a new poll finds the public doesn’t like the idea very much.

Republicans haven’t really moved beyond the legacy of George W. Bush’s failed Administration as much as they’d like to think, but it doesn’t seem to be hurting them very much.

The investigation continues, but the consensus seems to be growing that Metrojet 9268 was taken out by a bomb.

America’s much touted international coalition against ISIS is, essentially a Coalition In Name Only.

In a new book, former President George H.W. Bush is highly critical of two of his son’s closest advisers in the White House.

President Obama came to office inheriting the legacy of one unnecessary war, and another that had faded from memory. He will leave office with Iraq and Syria in crisis, Europe uneasy, Yemen and Libya unstable breeding grounds for terrorism, and China doing whatever it is they’re doing.

Another day, another military escalation in the Middle East.

President Obama is reportedly considering a plan that would put American forces much closer to the ground war in the war against ISIS.

So close, and yet so very, very, far.

Jim Webb’s campaign for the Democratic nomination has been largely forgettable, so now he’s apparently threatening to run as an Independent.

The plan to withdraw nearly all American forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2016 is being put on hold.

In addition to doing everything she needed to do last night, Hillary Clinton also destroyed whatever logic remained for a Joe Biden candidacy.

In the wake of failure that could have been easily foreseen, the Obama Administration is ending a program to train so-called “moderate” Syrian rebels.

President Obama is reportedly considering a plan that would keep up to 5,000 American troops in Afghanistan past the withdrawal date he had already set.

With Russia now launching its own airstrikes in Syria, it’s become obvious that U.S. policy in the Syrian Civil War is irrational and contradictory. And Russia’s policy isn’t any better.

The Taliban dealt a major defeat to a numerically superior Afghan Army force, raising questions about just how well Afghanistan can defend itself on its own.

With the exception of Rand Paul, the foreign policy discussion at last night’s debate was about as bad as you’d expect.

Britain’s Labour Party has taken a hard tilt left with the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader.

Vice-President Biden dropped another hint that suggests he might not be up to running for President.

President Obama now has enough votes in the Senate, and probably the House, to ensure that Congress cannot block the nuclear deal with Iran.

My latest for War on The Rocks, “The Inter-Service Wars Are Looking Like Calvinball,” has posted.

Joe Biden may want to run for President, but does anyone else? It doesn’t really seem like it.

To lose something one has to have it in the first place. (It is pretty basic logic).

Like many Republicans, Jeb Bush continues to be willfully blind to the truth about the Iraq War.

President Obama’s confrontational approach to opponents of the Iran Nuclear Deal ignores legitimate questions.

Lindsey Graham recently retired as a colonel in the Air Force Reserves after 33 years of service. He missed most of the last twenty.

In 1992, an eccentric billionaire ran an independent campaign against a Bush and a Clinton. It could happen again.

Turkey has finally joined in the US-led coalition against ISIL. Unfortunately, it’s killing the main ground force fighting ISIL.

The Afghan Army isn’t doing so well against the Taliban right now.

Any discussion of the Iran deal has to be about realistic alternatives, not fantasies.

The events of the past two weeks could allow the Republican Party to move forward.

The nine-year-old ‘Army Strong’ ad campaign is ended.