Outside the Beltway

He’s turned Russia from a G-8 member to an international pariah.

The West continues to close Moscow off.

President Biden was advised to keep troops in Afghanistan . . . for no apparent reason.

Squirrel!

Everywhere one turns, it seems, there’s Russia.

The President has another plan to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It’s as likely to be well-received on Capitol Hill as all of his other previous plans on this issue.

Disturbing reports over the weekend that American leaders may not be getting the kind of unbiased intelligence analysis about ISIS that they need to make decisions.

A well-founded fear of ISIS seems to be drawing many of the former Soviet Republics in Central Asia closer to Moscow.

Vaccination has eliminated a disease that used to be a serious threat from the Americas.

Quietly, oil prices have been falling for months now. That’s potentially a very big deal.

While the world watches Ukraine, Central Asia could also be an area where Russia may seek to expand its territory.

There are lots of different ways of looking at the situation in Ukraine—historical, game theoretical, and interpersonal perspectives.

Crimea is more divided than Russia would have the world believe. Plus: the Crimean government has no legitimacy at the moment.

Western military action in the Syrian civil war now appears likely.

Virginia Tech English prof Steven Salaita implores us to “Stop saying ‘support the troops.'”

Has the West inadvertently handed Iran a victory in Syria?

Would more information about the Benghazi attacks have changed the outcome of the Presidential election?

A sensational story, little solid information, and instant analysis are a bad combination

In office less than a day, Francois Hollande has already been forced to admit he can’t withdraw French forces from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

Mitt Romney called Russia our “number one geopolitical foe.” Is he right?

Michael Hastings has yet another credulous story attempting to smear the United States military.

Ahead of his big foreign policy speech, Mitt Romney has unveiled his “Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Team” which “will assist Governor Romney as he presents his vision for restoring American leadership in the world and securing our enduring interests and ideals abroad.”

Todays’ horrific attack on the UN complex in Mazar-i Sharif may well the the Tet Offensive of Afghanistan: a relatively minor event that permanently changed the American public’s view of the war.

Sarah Palin waded into the foreign policy pool today with a piece about Iran, and it was about as empty as most of the other ideas on Iran that we’ve heard over the last six years or so from everyone else.

Newt Gingrich is drawing fire for his comments about that the President has a “Kenyan world view.” But, will Newt every pay the price for his inflammatory rhetoric ? Don’t count on it.