Outside the Beltway

As memory of the Cold War fades, so does support for American primacy.

He met with people. And, get this, with his father!

The wonders of hindsight.

Humanitarian instincts rightly trumped security concerns.

A reckoning for 2500 Kosovar Serb civilians who were slaughtered is at hand.

Democrats are trying to rein in President Trump. It won’t work.

The Wall Street Journal tries, and fails, to defend President Trump’s indefensible veto of the Congressional resolution regarding the war on Yemen.

Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have apparently finally settled a three-decade old name dispute.

Echoing the Obama Administration, the Trump Administration is arguing that it did not need Congressional authorization to attack Syria earlier this year.

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

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

Elliot Cohen laments the lack of steel in the spine of the statesmen, diplomats, soldiers, and thinkers of the current generation.

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

An important free speech case is coming up this week at the Supreme Court.

A man who survived great horrors to become a tireless witness for truth and advocate for human rights has passed away.

A respected scholar has an interesting suggestion for fighting the Forever War.

NATO is extending full membership to the tiny nation of Montenegro, and there doesn’t seem to be a good reason why they’re doing it.

The Holocaust was a very atypical case of genocide.

The sixth year of a presidency leads to some predictable commentary (and some comparative notes).

Congress seems ready to avoid having to vote on expanded attacks against the Islamic State

Viet Xuan Luong pins on a brigadier general’s star today, becoming the first Vietnamese-American officer to achieve that rank.

Americans are skeptical about getting involved in the Ukraine crisis. This isn’t a surprise.

The Cold War may be over, but the negative opinions in the U.S. regarding Russia and its leadership seem to have continued.

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

Presidents have gotten away with ignoring Congress when it comes to foreign military adventures for a very long time.

As President Obama’s red line has been crossed more brazenly, he continues to sound reluctant to intervene in Syria while positioning forces to do just that.

Former President Bill Clinton says President Obama should ignore the polls and intervene in Syria.

The Republican Party needs a new message on foreign policy that is true to the conservative principles of the base and yet has a broad appeal to the American public.

The factors influencing Russian policy in Syria are many, and some of them are quite ancient.

The truth about a Second Obama Term is that it likely wouldn’t be all that remarkable.

Why we shouldn’t be surprised that police are using tools of violence against protestors.

Honoring the fallen by ensuring that the didn’t die in vain is a recipe for getting more good men killed.

Dennis Kucinich and nine other Members of Congress are suing the President. They won’t get very far.

My latest piece for The Atlantic, “Is the U.S.-European Relationship Really in Decline?” is posted.

Clearly there’s a large ambiguity in the Constitutional gap between the two separate war-related powers of Congress and the Executive. The WPA can be seen as an attempt to resolve it but can’t if it’s unconstitutional.

Technology has saved the lives of countless American soldiers. But it’s made going to war easier.

An aide’s compliment about the president “leading from behind” has generated controversy.

President Obama says he acted in Libya to avert an imminent genocide, but there’s no evidence that any such thing was about to occur.

President Obama has pledged no slaughter and no ground troops for Libya. He may well be forced to pick one.

President Obama’s grand coalition against Libya is a lot less than meets the eye.

Tom Ricks doesn’t understand why we need an exit strategy in Libya.

The public, and Congress, are skeptical of the mission in Libya, and the reason for that is because the President has failed to tell us exactly why we’re there and what we’ll be doing.

When America’s leaders make the decision to engage in military action abroad, has the time for debate ended, or is it more important than ever that those with doubts about the policy speak out?

Operation Odyssey Dawn has resurrected the eternal battle over what limits there are, and should be, on the President’s ability to use military force without Congressional authorization.

There must be a predisposition against war and we should only engage in just wars.

U.S. officials are making clear that the current mission in Libya may not lead to the end of Muammar Gaddafi’s rule. If that’s the case, then why are we there in the first place?

There are many opportunities to go to war. Here’s a guide for choosing between them.

Did President Obama pull off a diplomatic masterstroke? Or is he muddling through?

America is about to enter a third war in the Muslim world with no clear idea of the end game.