Outside the Beltway

The fall of the Assad regime is the end of the beginning.

Thinking out loud, as one does.

When the obvious is controversial.

Swedish right-wing provocation and Turkish short-sightedness.

I guess you proved your point about great powers picking and choosing their battlefields.

President Biden has a second chance to do the right thing.

A long-winded and esoteric discussion about an elusive idea.

How about crowd sourcing a timeline for all of Trump’s enablers?

President Trump is making ridiculous threats against the regime in Iraq that are likely to draw it closer to Iran.

Despite Pompeo’s assurances, we are already seeing consequences for the Suleimani killing.

There’s apparently big news in the fight against ISIS.

As American forces retreat, Russia and Turkey are dividing up northern Syria like,well,a turkey.

ISIS is quickly taking advantage of the abrupt American withdrawal from northern Syria.

So far at least, Elizabeth Warren is not doing a good job of articulating her foreign policy positions. That needs to change if she’s going to be a serious candidate.

American negotiators are claiming a ceasefire in northern Syria. The Turks, Syrians, and Russians are the winners, the Kurds are the losers, and we look like schmucks.

As the vultures continue to circle above the White House, the President continues to lash out.

Elizabeth Warren took most of the fire during last night’s fourth Democratic debate, which will likely go a long way toward winnowing down a crowded field.

As the Turkish invasion of northern Syria continues, Donald Trump responds with basically nothing.

Turkish forces advance, American forces retreat, the Kurds seek new allies, and Syria and Russia come out the winners.

Trump’s error in Syria.

Thinking about support for Trump and considering how recent events may influence that support.

President Trump is basically saying he does not care if ISIS prisoners return to Europe to commit terror attacks.

Trump makes a particularly dumb comment about our alliance with Syrian Kurds.

Just days after President Trump agreed to remove American forces from the scene, Turkish forces are entering northern Syria and Kurdish forces say they ar ready for war.

President Trump’s latest Syria move is coming under heavy criticism even from fellow Republicans.

The United States is withdrawing its small force from Northern Syria, clearing the way for a Turkish invasion that will likely
aim to wipeout the Kurdish forces in the region.

After two years of spitting in their faces, President Trump is finding it hard to get America’s European allies to come to his aid.

President Trump has lost another one of his top advisers on the fight against ISIS.

The Trump Administration is reportedly preparing to withdraw the small contingent of American troops from Syria. If it actually happens, this would be a good move.

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.

Iraqi military forces begin to crack down against Iraqi Kurds after last month’s independence referendum.

The U.S is joining the rest of the world in refusing to recognize the independence referendum conducted by Iraqi Kurds.

Kurds in Iraq voted overwhelmingly for independence in a non-binding referendum, and the result is threatening to create a new conflict in the Middle East.

Libertarian Party Presidential candidate Gary Johnson doesn’t get much national press attention, and it doesn’t help when he flubs an answer like he did this morning.

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

A massive attack hits Istanbul’s airport.

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.

In an interview, Donald Trump reveals that when it comes to foreign policy he has no idea what he’s talking about.

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

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

Turkey’s governing party suffered big setbacks at the ballot box yesterday.

ISIS has captured Ramadi, and revealed yet again how fractured Iraq actually is. Fixing that isn’t something that American aid or arms can accomplish.

The Atlantic has a fascinating cover story by Graeme Wood titled “What ISIS Really Wants.”

The ground troops that United States has not sent into Iraq to fight ISIL are reportedly in Iraq fighting ISIL.

The latest ISIS video is horrible and barbaric but we should not take the bait they are offering before considering the consequences of our actions going forward.

Mission creep.