Dennis Ross just can’t get enough saber-rattling against Iran:Instead, Blinken or President Joe Biden should announce that although the U.S. favors diplomacy for resolving the threat of the Iranian nuclear program, the Iranians continue to demonstrate that they don’t;...
Attacking the Cartels Will Achieve Nothing
Bill Barr wants to attack Mexico:America can no longer tolerate narco-terrorist cartels. Operating from havens in Mexico, their production of deadly drugs on an industrial scale is flooding our country with this poison. The time is long past to deal with this outrage...
Another Stupid Hawkish Panic About Iranian Ships
While their preferred policies have brought war closer in the Middle East, it is not surprising that Iran hawks want to talk about something else. The Wall Street Journal editors fume about two (count them, two!) Iranian ships docking in Brazil:The arrival of two...
The Lies Paving the Way for War With Iran
Walter Russell Mead turns reality on its head:Worse, Iran’s inexorable march toward nuclear weapons [bold mine-DL], combined with its deepening partnership with Russia, is driving the Middle East steadily closer to a war that is likely to engage the U.S.—one that the...
Taking All the Wrong Turns on North Korea
I reviewed Siegfried Hecker’s Hinge Points for Responsible Statecraft in my new column. The book is Hecker’s account of the development of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and the failures of US policy in preventing North Korea from becoming a nuclear weapons...
The Toxic Effects of Great Power ‘Competition’
Spencer Ackerman identifies the most absurd part of Robert Kagan’s latest essay on rivalry with China: But those are the trees. This line is the forest: "If ever there could be a cure for American political polarization, a conflict with China would be it."...
Biden Steers Clear of Foreign Policy
Even by the standards of past State of the Union addresses, Biden’s speech last night was remarkably light on references to foreign policy. Stephen Wertheim commented on this during the speech:By Biden's own account, the United States today faces a risk of...
Israel Attacks Iran (Again)
The Israeli government launched another attack inside Iran this weekend:A drone attack on an Iranian military facility that resulted in a large explosion in the center of the city of Isfahan on Saturday was the work of the Mossad, Israel’s premier intelligence agency,...
Bolton’s Big Error on China and North Korea
For some reason, The Washington Post lets John Bolton hold forth about China and North Korea:Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Beijing in early February to meet with his new Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang. Bilateral relations between their two countries...
The Economic Warfare Body Count
Vladimir Milov insists that sanctions on Russia are “working”:Expecting immediate results is unrealistic and even counterproductive. Given time, sanctions may well deter Russia’s aggressive behavior.Sanctions advocates always point to sanctions’ economic...


