Outside the Beltway

Ron Paul is again making the argument that American foreign policy has contributed to terrorism. He’s more right than wrong.

International options with respect to Syria are limited and likely to have little impact on the governments treatment of civilians.

Will the trial of Hosni Mubarak actually change anything?

Freshman GOP Representative Allen West is a loose cannon and unfit for office.

The selective application of international law is here to stay.

Ousting evil dictators is harder than it looks.

A summary of the status of the “Arab Spring” uprisings with links to news coverage and commentary.

Foreign Policy’s David Kenner has a reading list for President Obama to help him get read for his big speech to recast our relationship with the Arab world. Topping the Persian Gulf section is Crossroads Arabia, by our own John Burgess.

Technology has saved the lives of countless American soldiers. But it’s made going to war easier.

The question of how the world’s most wanted man could’ve hidden in plain sight in Pakistan continues to be asked.

The myth that the U.S. armed and trained Osama bin Laden in the early 80’s is rearing its ugly head again.

The groups we supported were defeated by the Taliban in the civil war that followed Soviet withdrawal. The Taliban and Usama bin Laden were supported by the separate “Sayyaf” group of Mujahideen supported by Saudi Arabia and Deobandi fanatics in Pakistan.

The “Obama Doctrine,” such as it is, seems to boil down to moral self-certainty combined with a glaring ignorance of reality. That’s a dangerous combination.

The Obama Administration is asking the U.N. Security Council to authorize direct military intervention in Libya. The question is, why now?

We’re heading towards a future of higher food prices and more hunger.

As gas and oil prices rise, the pressure is increasing to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It’s a dumb idea.

The uprisings in the Arab world have led some to suggest that the Middle East isn’t “ready” to be free. They’re wrong.

Is Saudi Arabia the next domino to fall in the Middle East? The Royal family is hoping that money will be enough to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The continuing chaos in Libya could have a serious impact on the U.S. economy, especially if it spreads to other oil producing nations.

Knowing his downfall was imminent, the former Egyptian dictator moved vast wealth out of rich of Western governments.

The Hope and Chain Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

With just over a week to go before the 112th Congress convenes, battle lines are already being drawn in battle over the defense budget.

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.

Are American diplomats lying to reporters because they figure our citizens can’t handle the truth?

A top Saudi cleric says nothing in the Koran forbids women from driving cars.

The diplomatic ramifications of the latest Wikileaks leaks are just starting to emerge and may place some countries in very embarrassing positions.

Of the five countries that use the death penalty the most, only one is a democracy.

Thanks to a combination of good intelligence and fast action, it looks like the U.S. and UK avoided a serious attack on airliners last week.

If the Obama Administration gets it’s way, your secure Internet communications won’t really be all that secure.

Ted Koppel thinks our actions since 9/11 have helped Osama bin Laden fulfill his goals. He couldn’t be more wrong.

Everyone from David Petraeus to Sarah Palin is speaking out against a nutbag pastor’s Koran burning event. While they’re right, they’re emphasizing the wrong message.

The first ad of the 2012 presidential cycle has aired, by some dentist touting Hillary Clinton. She’s not running. Could she?

Ok, Saudi Arabia has less freedom than the US. Why do some people think that should form the basis of an argument about appropriate behavior in the US?

Some of our politicians and commentators are looking to odd places for guidance over the application of fundamental American values.

Steve Emerson has reportedly found 13 hours of tape of Cordoba Initiative chairman Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and found him to be a “radical extremist cleric who cloaks himself in sheep’s clothing.” Does it matter?

According to John Bolton, Israel has a deadline of August 21st to attack Iran’s nuclear program. This is the fourth deadline he’s set in the last three years.

A major part of the problem with the seeming growing wave of anti-Muslim sentiment in some quarters of US politics is that it seems to equate Islam as “the enemy.” If that’s the case, then US foreign policy has some ‘splainin’ to do.

The GOP is playing a dangerous game with the anti-Islamic rhetoric that it seems to be courting these days.

If it was called the “Burlington Coat Factory community center” would anyone care about Cordoba House?