Outside the Beltway

My latest for The National Interest, “Hagel’s Defense Cuts: The Least Bad Choice,” is out.

Hamid Karzai’s refusal to sign a new security agreement may result in all U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan by the end of the year.

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

A rather impressive recovery from a career that was mostly dead in 2007.

Refusing to raise the debt ceiling does nothing at all to control spending.

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.

Hundreds of soldiers allegedly scammed a system that awarded bonuses for referring recruits.

Most Americans now see America’s decade of war as a failure.

Let’s think about how the media operates.

Former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie is challenging incumbent Senator Mark Warner for his Senate seat.

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

A new book by former SecDef Robert Gates is making political waves in Washington power circles, but will it matter to ordinary Americans?

The Iraqis need to learn to govern themselves, and conservatives blaming President Obama for renewed violence need a history lesson.

If you’re still not convinced that we lost the war in Iraq, this should settle the argument.

The New York Times Benghazi report raises as many questions as it purports to answer.

The “good war” no more.

Newly disclosed details about the US role in Colombia.

The beginnings of a populist challenge to Hillary Clinton in 2016?

Ron Fournier sees major similarities but ignores key differences.

For veterans who get in trouble with the law, *when* they commit a crime can have profound implications on their future. Does this make sense?

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

The junior Senator from Massachusetts has promised to serve her entire six-year term.

A new poll finds the American public far less supportive of the idea of the U.S. as the world’s policeman.

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

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

Phil Carter draws attention to “The Vets We Reject and Ignore.”

Signs of some progress in the talks over Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Will this new Australian oil discovery shake up world politics?

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

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

My latest for Defense One, “The Army’s Misguided Crackdown on Tattoos,” has posted.

Cathy’s husband and Jess’ father, Jer, was killed in the shooting spree at the Navy Yard.

My latest for The Atlantic, “It Isn’t the Military’s Place to Weigh In on the Syria Debate,” has posted.

The destruction of Syria’s stockpiles will be slow and laborious even if all goes according to script.

:Like his predecessors, President Obama’s speech last night exaggerated the threat that Syria poses in order to sell his plan to American voters.