Outside the Beltway

Iranian voters have re-elected Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate whose election in 2013 was largely responsible for the shifts in policy that made the international agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear research program possible.

As expected, Donald Trump yesterday signed Executive Orders targeting Muslims and refugees.

The 117 CIA officers who have died in our service should not be used to score cheap political points.

While you were celebrating Christmas, Israel was blasting the Obama Administration and cozying up to the incoming Trump Administration.

One of the last survivors of Israel’s founding generation has passed away.

Allegations of influence peddling by Clinton Foundation donors are being rehashed thanks to the release of a new batch of emails.

The godfather of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine has passed.

For an Oval Office address delivered on a Sunday night, President Obama’s speech last night sounded more like a statement read from the podium in the press room.

The United States and Europe are giving everything the perpetrators of the Paris attacks hoped for.

In the wake of the attacks in Paris, some people have argued that American solidarity with France, in contrast to seeming disregard for tragedy elsewhere, is something we should feel bad about. That argument is ridiculous.

Confirming speculation that had already been all but confirmed, we now know that it was a bomb that brought down a Russian passenger jet on October 31st.

The news that at least some of the men who were involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris were among the refugees who have arrived in Europe since the summer is likely to complicate an already complicated situation.

President Obama has apparently come to the same realization as many of his predecessors, that trying to craft a legacy by single-handedly bring about “Middle East Peace” is largely a waste of time.

Another day, another military escalation in the Middle East.

The U.S. is set to ramp up its contribution to dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis, but there’s a lot more we can do.

The Administration announced changes to the way the government handles hostage situations, but it really doesn’t amount to much.

Mohammed Morsi, Egypt’s first truly-elected president, has been sentenced to death by the government which ousted him in a coup.

More than ever before, even mild criticism of Israel seems to be verboten among Republicans.

By a wide margin Americans think it was wrong of the GOP to invite Israel’s Prime Minister to speak to Congress.

The Atlantic has a fascinating cover story by Graeme Wood titled “What ISIS Really Wants.”

The idea that the U.S. does not negotiate with terrorists is simply not historically accurate, so should we be reconsidering the policy of not negotiating with ISIS for the release of Western hostages?

The latest ISIS video is horrible and barbaric but we should not take the bait they are offering before considering the consequences of our actions going forward.

President Obama has opened a new front in his “war” against ISIS

Despite the President’s assurances of an international coalition, the rest of the world doesn’t seem all that interested in joining the fight.

If the President is going to increase American involvement in the Middle East, he needs to address some fundamental questions first.

President Obama doesn’t seem to have any idea what he wants to do in Iraq.

Relying on the policies of a man who was President in a very different time is not a substitute for a rational foreign policy.

For some reason, President Obama wants to arm so-called “moderate” Syrian rebels.

Is ISIS about to make the situation in the Levant even worse?

Things only seem to be getting worse in Iraq.

Contrary to the oft-repeated slogan, the United States has negotiated with terrorists before. And we will do it again.

Petty politics, or valid concerns?

Once again, President Obama’s attempt to communicate a foreign policy vision falls short.

James Oliphant asks, “Why Hasn’t the GOP Treated Fort Hood Like Benghazi?”

After eight years in a coma, Ariel Sharon has passed away.

The Iraqis need to learn to govern themselves, and conservatives blaming President Obama for renewed violence need a history lesson.

The Fox News Channel created “War On Christmas” officially entered the absurd zone last week.

Was Arafat poisoned? A new report raises some questions, but answers none of them conclusively.

Relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia seem to have soured in recent years.

Score one for Team Bush?

The president’s public dithering on Syria is drawing jeers from friend and foe alike.

Some questions that the Administration needs to answer before attacking Syria.

We’re almost certainly going to launch punitive strikes against Syria. They’ll almost certainly be ineffective.

In both Egypt and Syria, it’s damned if we do and damned if we don’t.

As President Obama’s red line has been crossed more brazenly, he continues to sound reluctant to intervene in Syria while positioning forces to do just that.