Ross Douthat sums up the thesis of Elbridge Colby’s book, Strategy of Denial:Only China threatens American interests in a profound way, through a consolidation of economic power in Asia that imperils our prosperity and a military defeat that could shatter our alliance...
A Dangerous Fixation on Denuclearization
A new Chicago Council survey finds that the public is overwhelmingly in favor of negotiating a peace agreement with North Korea, but only if North Korea disarms:For example, 76 percent of Americans support negotiating a formal peace agreement with North Korea to...
Watch Out for ‘Blobaganda’
Ross Douthat suggests that defeat in Afghanistan will have adverse consequences for the U.S. elsewhere in the world:Mattathias Schwartz has written an interesting account of his experience in the foreign policy “Blob” and how “blobaganda” gets produced:To understand...
Reject the Myths of Empire
Ross Douthat suggests that defeat in Afghanistan will have adverse consequences for the U.S. elsewhere in the world:That said, defeats on distant frontiers can also have consequences closer to the imperial core. The American imperium can’t be toppled by the Taliban....
The Poor, Put-Upon Foreign Policy Establishment
Max Boot joins Richard Haass in touting the great success of the U.S. foreign policy establishment:Yes, post-1945 policymakers got it catastrophically wrong in Vietnam. But they got it right by containing the Soviet Union while building security alliances and...
The Case Against Congressional Meddling in Diplomacy
Kori Schake wants Congress to take more responsibility in foreign policy, but this proposal would effectively block almost all diplomatic agreements and make it practically impossible for the US to negotiate with almost anyone:Agreements with foreign powers, whether...
Biden Continues the War on Terror Beyond Afghanistan
The president delivered a good speech yesterday defending his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan and end the U.S. war there. Here was the key point:So we were left with a simple decision: Either follow through on the commitment made by the last administration and...
In Matters of War, Congress Is Worse Than Useless
Stephen Wertheim makes a good case that Congress needs to take up its responsibilities in matters of war:Mr. Biden inherited this situation, but he need not perpetuate either the ongoing wars or the legal evasions that enable them. He could tell Congress this: It has...
The Dishonest Case for Staying in Afghanistan
Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, reminded us this week just how blinkered the opponents of withdrawing from Afghanistan are:The alternative to withdrawal from Afghanistan was not “endless occupation” but open-ended presence. Occupation...
Going to War Over Taiwan and the ‘Gas Tank of Will’
Benjamin Wallace-Wells profiles Elbridge Colby and discusses his hawkishness on China in a recent New Yorker article. This section was probably the most telling part of the entire piece:Colby’s response is to try to sever the transformational vision of the forever...


