Outside the Beltway

The United States can’t do any good in Syria, but we can do a lot of bad.

Out of the blue, President Trump plans to pardon Dick Cheney’s former Chief of Staff, but the move seems to have more to do with James Comey than it does Scooter Libby.

Without Congressional authorization, any attack on Syria would be illegal, but don’t expect Congress to do anything about it.

Once again, President Trump’s foreign policy tweeting is causing problems.

President Trump took to Twitter this morning and decided poke a stick in the eye of the Russian bear.

The United States has several options in Syria. None of them are good and one of them would be disastrous.

The FBI committed gross malfeasance in building a case against the widow of Omar Mateen. She nonetheless bears significant blame for 53 deaths.

President Trump is talking about pulling American troops out of Syria, but his own White House is contradicting him.

The woman who lost the 2016 election is apparently not going to go away.

Descriptions of Robby Jackson as “Trump’s personal physician” mischaracterize his qualifications for the job.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

The legal distinction between “personal capacity” and “official capacity” makes no sense for senior presidential appointees.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham says war against North Korea would be worth it. Ignoring the fact that it would result in casualties unlike anything America has seen since the Vietnam War.

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

We form stereotypes about generational cohorts when they’re very young and then freeze them.

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

The octogenarian failed to get her party’s endorsement for a sixth term.

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

Phil Carter makes an interesting argument but he’s ultimately mistaken.

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.

Republicans spent the eight years of Obama Administration railing against fiscal irresponsibility. Now that they have power, they’re the ones being fiscally irresponsible.

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.

Of course Donald Trump wants a military parade, it would be consistent with his delusions of grandeur.

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.

John Kelly continues to throw away the good name he earned in decades of service as a Marine to serve the agenda of President Trump.

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.

Three women who attended Annapolis together are running for seats in Congress.

A quarter century ago, soldiers were first using GPS to help them navigate the battlefield. Now, GPS is giving away their location.

With the Administration set to commit the United States to a forever war in Syria, it’s time for Congress to act.

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 difference is, dare I say, huge.

Senator Al Franken faces new charges of sexually inappropriate conduct on the same day that House Democrats are beginning to pressure one of their members to resign.

A horrible terror attack in Egypt.

President Trump returns home from an Asian trip that wasn’t exactly impressive.

A preemptive attack on North Korea would be illegal, immoral and, most importantly, insane.

On North Korea, there are two options, deterrence and war. And only one of those options makes sense.

A month that was highlighted by the capture of the ISIS capital city of Raqqa ends with an apparent lone wolf ISIS-inspired attack in New York City

Due mostly to cowardice and naked self-interest, you shouldn’t expect many other Republicans to speak out against Trump in the near future.

America has become involved in conflicts around the world, largely without the knowledge of the American people or the consent of their representatives, and it doesn’t appear that’s going to end anytime soon.

The White House believes that it is ‘inappropriate’ to question Generals. This argument is not only wrong, it’s downright dangerous.

White House Chief Of Staff John Kelly publicly defended the President’s call to a military widow yesterday, but he got several facts wrong in the process.

The capital of the purported caliphate declared by ISIS has apparently fallen, but that doesn’t mean the end of ISIS. In fact, it may make the group more dangerous.

President Trump sinks even lower.

Two Federal Judges have issued orders blocking the latest version of President Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban.