Outside the Beltway

The 21st century’s most brutal conflict and the laws of war.

President Trump has lost another one of his top advisers on the fight against ISIS.

While everyone is paying attention to the government shutdown, the Trump Administration is preparing for a never-ending, unwise, and unauthorized military commitment in Syria.

President Trump returns home from an Asian trip that wasn’t exactly impressive.

Another day, another Trump lie.

The capital of the purported caliphate declared by ISIS has apparently fallen, but that doesn’t mean the end of ISIS. In fact, it may make the group more dangerous.

The U.S is joining the rest of the world in refusing to recognize the independence referendum conducted by Iraqi Kurds.

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.

Last night’s debate, sadly, lived down to my expectations.

President Obama came to office inheriting the legacy of one unnecessary war, and another that had faded from memory. He will leave office with Iraq and Syria in crisis, Europe uneasy, Yemen and Libya unstable breeding grounds for terrorism, and China doing whatever it is they’re doing.

Another day, another military escalation in the Middle East.

ISIS has captured Ramadi, and revealed yet again how fractured Iraq actually is. Fixing that isn’t something that American aid or arms can accomplish.

The gang calling itself the Islamic State has destroyed another historical site.

Iraqi army and Iranian army in joint offensive to retake Tikrit.

ISIS apparently now has a foothold in Libya, and is making inroads in Yemen.

President Obama will ask Congress to authorize a war he started six months ago.

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.

As things stand right now, there is no legitimate legal authorization for the President’s war against ISIS, and that’s largely because Congress has failed to act.

Mission creep.

The war against ISIS continues to silently escalate, with little input from the people’s representatives in Congress.

So much for the President’s promise about ‘no ground troops.’

After keeping his distance from them for three years, President Obama is placing much misplaced hope in the “moderate” Syrian rebels,

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

The Obama Administration’s legal justification for war against ISIS is laughably flimsy.

Massive US intervention has for now liberated Amerli, averting humanitarian disaster. Another crisis looms.

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

Fairly or not, the President has created the impression that he is not a good leader, and there’s not much he can do about it at this point.

Iraq continues to fall apart.

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

The Kentucky Senator and former Vice-President are at the front of a battle that will unfold inside the GOP as we head toward 2016.

Iraq’s Prime Minister seems to be responding to the uprising in his country in a way guaranteed to make it worse.

Will ISIS be able to consolidate and hold the territory it’s taken in Iraq?

Iraq is falling apart for reasons that have nothing to do with President Obama or his policies.

It’s sure beginning to look like a civil war in Iraq, albeit a rather one sided one at the moment.

The Iraqi government seems to be panicking.

Things only seem to be getting worse in Iraq.

The Major T.J. “King” Kong Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

The scandal now surrounding David Petraeus should lead people to reassess his past record.

Why Big Army has trouble with small wars.

Defense Secretary Gates hinted this week that the U.S. would stay in Iraq if the Iraqis wanted. It doesn’t seem like they do.

It’s not the size of your government that counts — it’s what you do with it that matters.