Outside the Beltway

The various factions in Afghanistan have agreed, at least in principle, to alter the nation’s government as part of a deal to resolve election disputes.

When it comes to Iraq, the media only seems to be giving Americans one side of the story.

The very idea of a “war on religion” in the United States is absurd.

For the first time, Edward Snowden is talking to the American media.

Is support for marriage equality now an issue that can benefit Democrats at the polls?

Diplomatic word games.

If Hillary Clinton runs for President, questions surrounding the Benghazi attack will continue to dog her.

Open mouth, insert foot.

The removal of chemical weapons from Syria is nearly complete. Does Obama deserve credit for that?

Middle East peace talks are apparently in such bad shape that the U.S. is thinking of releasing Jonathan Pollard as an incentive to Israel.

In case you needed a further reason to dismiss Jerome Corsi (and some general thoughts on what Corsi represents).

Iran has promised to roll back parts of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

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.

No person has been elected Senator in a second state after serving as Senator in another, but Scott Brown seems set to give it a try.

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

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

Some Members of Congress are talking about pushing a bill imposing new sanction on Iran despite the deal reached in Geneva yesterday.

Small steps from both sides in the Iranian nuclear negotiations, but too early to say that we’ve reached a solution.

Thanks largely to France, this weekend’s efforts to reach an interim deal on Iran’s nuclear program fell apart.

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

Jofi Joseph was unmasked as the obnoxious @NatSecWonk and fired by the White House.

The United States and Russia have agreed to the framework of a deal to turn over Syrian chemical weapons.

I’ve been up since 3 am and drinking since 6 pm, so my reaction to a presidential war speech at 9 am may not be the definitive word

My latest for The National Interest has posted.

Opposing interventionism and unnecessary and unwise military engagements is not isolationism.

A throwaway comment by John Kerry in London has led to some interesting diplomatic developments.

Is U.S. planning against Syria moving beyond just chemical weapons?

Score one for Team Bush?

Raymond Pritchett longs for the good old days of Tom Donilan, Hillary Clinton, and Leon Panetta.

We’re almost certainly going to launch punitive strikes against Syria. They’ll almost certainly be ineffective.

John Kerry’s speech was the crossing of the Rubicon for US military action in Syria.

Secretary of State Kerry becomes the latest American official to wade into the Middle East’s longest lasting quagmire.

North Korea’s nuclear weapons aren’t going anywhere.

While the military was ousting Egypt’s democratically elected president, the US Secretary of State was on his yacht.

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