Outside the Beltway

Global poverty has plummeted in recent years.

There are a number of signs coming out of Libya that indicate the regime is in serious trouble despite the willingness of the state to use violence on the crowds.

The situation in Bahrain continues to evolve as the state has pulled back the stick.

The ongoing saga of piracy off the coast of Somali is about to get Americans’ attention again, as a yacht containing four U.S. citizens has been hijacked.

Like in Bahrain, the Libyan authorities are not tolerating protests.

Ten days is not a lot of time for constitutional reform.

What people (or transitional governments) say isn’t ultimately the issue. What they do is.

The military states that it will govern for six month or until elections are held.

Ellis Goldberg, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington and an expert on Egyptian politics, has a pessimistic view about the likelihood that the military is interested in democratization.

Was Mubarak’s speech last night in defiance of the military?

So, what are the constitutional provisions for presidential resignations in Egypt?

While the jubilation in the streets of Egypt is fully warranted, make no mistake: the next move (indeed, the next several) belong to the military.

While earlier in the day the indications were that Mubarak was on his way out, Mubarak himself had different plans it would seem. The question becomes: now what?

Ronald Reagan would have turned 100 today. Here are some thoughts on his legacy.

If Mubarak is driven from power, will that make Egypt a case of “revolution”?

Breaking news from CNN.

The Egyptian army has publicly ruled out a use of force.

The coverage of Egypt shows an over-reliance on pundits and an under-reliance on actual experts.

The US has limited influence over events in Egypt–something that recent history should underscore (although not everyone appears to understand this fact).

The last thing that Haiti needed was for a former dictator to return, but that’s exactly what has happened.

Information made public by Wikileaks appears to have played a role in sparking the protest movement that has brought down the President of Tunisia.

What happens if Southern Sudan’s independence referendum succeeds?

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.

One of the most active American diplomats of the past twenty-five years has passed away.

The latest Wikileaks leak is a list of foreign infrastructure sites deemed vital to U. S. security.

A new round of Wikileaks documents is out, and it opens the door on diplomatic correspondence previously hidden from the public.

The first civilian trial of a Guantanamo detainee ends with the Defendant being acquitted on all but one charge, and shows us why the entire process is little more than a show trial.

Should the UN expand the number of permanent Security Council members?

If everything you know about Islam comes from Pam Geller and Christianity from Christopher Hitchens, you’re doing yourself a grave disservice.

Would non-violence really have failed against the Nazis? History suggests maybe not….

According to a new book from Bob Woorward, American policy in Afghanistan is the result of a decision making process that can only be described as chaotic at best.

Conservatives have latched on to a few words in a decade-old article by Democrat Chris Coons in their efforts to boost the candidacy of Christine O’Donnell in Delaware.