Henry Kissinger, 1923-2023

The most important and controversial American diplomat of the postwar era is gone at 100.

Where Does Europe End?

An idea, not a continent.

Is This Time Different?

America survived a civil war and the turmoil of the 1960s. Can we rebound again?

Chotiner Eviscerates Koppel on Kissinger

After giving a softball interview, he apparently expected one in return.

Kick Russia Off the Security Council?

A bad idea backed up by worse reasoning.

Poland ‘Renames’ Kaliningrad

The city once known as Koenigsberg is now Krolewiec, at least in Polish government documents.

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.

Most of the World Doesn’t Care About Ukraine

Many in the Global South see the war very differently than we in the West.

Russia-Ukraine War at One Year

Putin is losing but no one is winning.

U. S. Sending Abrams Tanks After All

An object lesson on the challenges of alliance politics.

GOP Behavior

Ezra Klein has some thought on the Republican Party.

Ash Carter, 1954-2022

A brilliant national security leader is gone too soon.

Putin’s Nuclear Gambit

The threat is not idle and the options for responding are not good.

Iran Protests Intensity Highest Since 1979

The ayatollahs face the biggest challenge to their authority in the history of the regime.

Mikhail Gorbachev, 1931-2022

The last Soviet leader is gone at 91.

China’s Worrisome Behavior

The competition is slowly ratcheting up.

Flag Ukraine Silhouette Ruins Soldier War Flag Ukraine Silhouette Ruins Soldier War

Doves Split Over Ukraine

Foreign policy makes strange bedfellows.

The free high-resolution photo of architecture, building, city, tower, religion, church, cathedral, place of worship, gold, madrid, christianity, cruz, moscow, orthodox, parish, dome, russia , taken with an D-LUX 5 03/07 2017 The picture taken with 10.0mm, f/4.0s, 1/800s, ISO 80 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. The free high-resolution photo of architecture, building, city, tower, religion, church, cathedral, place of worship, gold, madrid, christianity, cruz, moscow, orthodox, parish, dome, russia , taken with an D-LUX 5 03/07 2017 The picture taken with 10.0mm, f/4.0s, 1/800s, ISO 80 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0.

Dividing the Christian World

The Pope is indeed Catholic. The rest is up for debate.

Flag Ukraine Silhouette Ruins Soldier War Flag Ukraine Silhouette Ruins Soldier War

The War After Bucha

World opinion has shifted even more against Russia. Will it matter?

More on the Bioweapons Claim

The BBC checks the facts.

Russia Sanctions Itself in Retaliation for Western Sanctions

Vladimir Putin is banning commodity exports.

Is Putin Predictably Irrational?

Putin is a monster, but he may also be just as irrational as the rest of us.

Biden ‘Leading from Behind’ on Ukraine

The American President is once again leading the free world.

West Accelerates Pressure on Russia

NATO has stepped up in a pleasantly surprising way to resist the Ukraine invasion.

Deterring The Deterrers

Deterring Russia is a matter of principle.

Russia Really Invades Ukraine

Putin’s forces are in Kyiv.

The Beginning of a Response to the Beginning of an Invasion

The first shoe has dropped.

Putin Invades Ukraine in Defiance of West

The much-anticipated escalation has happened. Now to see how the United States and its allies respond.

Ilya Shapiro’s Inartful Tweet

Outrage over the outrage is outrageous.

Game of Chicken Kiev

The United States and its NATO allies are in a dangerous standoff.

Putin, Ukraine, and History

Russia’s leader sees the situation in the former Soviet Republic quite differently than the West.

Biden and Putin to Talk Ukraine

Russia may invade Ukraine again. The United States would prefer otherwise.

Is Autocracy Really Winning?

A depressing magazine piece argues it is.

Colin Powell, 1937-2021

The trailblazing soldier-statesman has died at 84.

US-France Submarine Contretemps

American cheese will henceforth be known as liberté cheese. And not because of the metric system.

OTB 2003 Revisited

A blast from the past.

Our Victory in Iraq

The wonders of hindsight.

It’s Only Champagne if it’s Made in Russia

If it’s made in France, it’s “sparkling wine.”

A U.S. Marine opens the door as President Joe Biden prepares to disembark Marine One, Saturday, July 3, 2021, at Antrim County Airport in Bellaire, Michigan. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) A U.S. Marine opens the door as President Joe Biden prepares to disembark Marine One, Saturday, July 3, 2021, at Antrim County Airport in Bellaire, Michigan. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

Biden Blamed for Afghan Fiasco

The collapse is not his doing. But he’s accountable for the poor planning.

China’s Olympic Machine

A massive investment falls just short. This time.

Ransomware Attack Causes Fuel Shortage

The Southeast has been hit especially hard.

George Shultz, 1920-2021

The longtime public servant has died, aged 100.

American Gerontocracy II

The Most Important Election in American History

The stakes of losing will be catastrophic. Either way.

The Dark Side of “It’s a Republic, not a Democracy”

I couldn’t help myself.

Brent Scowcroft, 1925-2020

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

Russia-Taliban Intel included in PDB

The President should have known about the plot. There’s a good chance he didn’t.

The Cold War Was A Sobering Influence For A Silly People

As scary as the Cold War was, it did reduce the silliness in American politics.