Chinese Exclusion

A bill in Alabama would bar Chinese nationals from buying property in the state.

Why the Catholic Church Sides with Putin and Orban

The Pope is siding with evil.

Republicans Divided on Foreign Policy

As memory of the Cold War fades, so does support for American primacy.

GOP Behavior

Ezra Klein has some thought on the Republican Party.

Biden Adopts Trump’s Immigration Policy

He’s using a tool he denounced as cruel to deal with a humanitarian crisis.

Mikhail Gorbachev, 1931-2022

The last Soviet leader is gone at 91.

Riot (or Worse) Thwarted in Idaho

A group of extremists are stopped from instigating a riot.

Madeleine Albright, 1937-2022

A trailblazing diplomat has died at 84.

Trump Losing Sway with Republican Voters?

We can only hope.

Putin’s War Gets Closer to NATO

Strikes near the Polish border show the real possibility of escalation.

P.J. O’Rourke, 1947-2022

The great conservative humorist is gone at 74.

Biden, the FARC, and Domestic Politics

The Biden admin is about to take a demilitarized group off the terrorist list and some people aren’t happy about it.

Is Autocracy Really Winning?

A depressing magazine piece argues it is.

Donald Rumsfeld, 1932-2021

He was both the youngest and oldest man to run the Pentagon.

The Ivies=NK?

Or, you know, not.

Socialize Music?

A really weird proposal to solve a problem that probably doesn’t exist.

Eighteen Years of Blogging

Some reflections

Peak Both-Siderism

David Brooks is the leader in the clubhouse.

Biden’s Christianity, Lincoln, and the Truth of Who We Are

Biden’s America is a place and idea in which the trappings of empire or glory are ephemera in comparison with perennial human relationships—families; friendships; communities; schools; neighbors; partners.

Brent Scowcroft, 1925-2020

The National Security Advisor to Presidents Ford and GHW Bush has died.

Cancel Cancel Culture

The state of American debate is not strong.

Tuberville and Sharia Law

Speaking of xenophobia.

Young Pete Buttigieg’s Ode to Bernie Sanders

An amusing discovery.

The Post-Trump GOP Will Not Go Back To ‘Normal’

Contrary to the hopes of some, getting rid of Trump isn’t going to purge the GOP of Trumpism.

Meanwhile, In Russia….

While the American media was paying attention to President travels and travails in Europe, there was another meeting taking place.

U.S. Measles Cases Hit Another High

Measles cases in the United States are surging thanks to the lies spread by the anti-vaccination movement.

Speaking of Elliott Abrams

And if you don’t know, now you know.

Alabama Editor Calls for Ku Klux Klan to Clean out DC

The end of racism may have been prematurely declared.

President George H.W. Bush Dies At 94

George H.W. Bush,, who served his nation as a warrior, Congressman, Ambassador, Vice-President, and President, has died at the age of 94.

Trump and Violating the Norms of Political Speech

An essay from earlier in the year by Jacob T. Levy underscores some of the points I recently tried to make about democratic norms in the current era.

Collapse of the Global Elite?

Elliot Cohen laments the lack of steel in the spine of the statesmen, diplomats, soldiers, and thinkers of the current generation.

South Korea Elects New President Who Favors Dialogue With North Korea

South Korea has elected a new President who breaks with his impeached predecessor in favoring dialogue with the North.

Fidel Castro Dead At 90

One of the Cold War era’s last dictators has finally died.

Putin Announces Start Of Withdrawal Of Russian Forces From Syria

To the surprise of many, Russia’s President announced that Russia would begin winding down its six month old intervention in Syria.

Trump’s Offensive Defense

Trump is doing the opposite of trying to calm things down.

Nancy Reagan Dead At 94

Nancy Reagan was a crucial part what made Ronald Reagan the man he was, and today she passed away at the age of 94.

Is Syria Already A Quagmire For Putin?

Some analysts are already suggesting that Russia’s two month old intervention in Syria is becoming a quagmire. That seems to be a premature judgment, but it’s not accomplishing much more than anything the West is doing.

What, Exactly, Does Uttering The Words “Radical Islamic Terrorism” Accomplish?

Republicans insist that uttering the words “Radical Islamic Terrorism” is somehow important in the fight against ISIS and other terror networks, but it is entirely unclear what doing so would accomplish.

The Confederate Flag Battle Slips Into Silly Territory

The Confederate Flag needs to be removed from official places of honor, but do we really need to worry about reruns of The Dukes of Hazzard?

Fear and Paranoia in Academia

I have been reading, mostly in passing, a number of pieces about an alleged new climate on college campuses in which students are raising significant complaints due to difficult or emotionally sensitive material. The latest example did not impress me.

Rand Paul, Marco Rubio Exchange Barbs Over Cuba Policy Changes

Two potential candidates for the Republican nomination in 2016 traded barbs this week over the President’s new policy toward Cuba.

Hillary Clinton Attacks Foreign Policy She Helped Create And Implement

Does Hillary Clinton remember that she was Secretary of State for four years?

The End of History, Continued

Twenty-five years after his seminal “End of History” article, Francis Fukuyama reflects on its legacy.

How America Stopped Thinking Strategically

Today’s foreign-policy disputes rarely consider the way America’s response to one crisis might affect another.