Outside the Beltway

The President has overturned decades of US foreign policy and alienated a NATO ally for, well, reasons.

A legendary statesman has passed.

Some early musings on a political fantasy that’s less implausible than it was 12 hours ago.

Ron Paul has a provocative new ad out asking Americans to imagine Chinese or Russian troops occupying Texas in the way American troops occupied Iraq and are occupying Afghanistan.

What’s the logic behind Iran’s alleged plot to commit terrorist attacks inside the United States?

Steve Clemons highlights former first lady Laura Bush’s continuing work in promoting education and international engagement.

Despite one headline to the contrary, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger did not endorse Jon Huntsman as our next president today.

Steve Clemons is taking his talents to The Atlantic

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

Intervening to “help” the Libyan revolt is very tempting, but it’s a temptation we ought to resist.

I have banned a couple of serial violators in recent days after various warnings, deletions, and other signals failed to do the trick.

State and AID budgets are a rounding error in the Defense budget.

America’s foremost tax foe has weighed in on the Afghanistan War debate.

Some Republican Senators-elect are imploring Harry Reid not to consider any treaties during the lame duck session.

Ivo Daalder, the US Ambassador to NATO, says that we are “seeing the corner and can peek around it in Afghanistan” and that a province-by-province handover of security responsibilities to the host government will “start in the first half of 2011.” But the final handover is not expected until “the end of 2014” and NATO forces will remain in an advisory capacity indefinitely. “The process will take years,” he emphasized.

Steve Walt, Steve Clemons, Matthew Hoh and others have released a provocative new report arguing for a change in our Afghanistan strategy.

Former Bush administration Solicitor General Ted Olson is making a zealous case for same-sex marriage. Why are people surprised?

Congrats to Steve Clemons, whose “Washington Note” has been named one of TIME’s Best Blogs of 2010.