Outside the Beltway

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

A roundup of news and opinon.

Hasan Minhaj is a serial liar. Does it matter?

The longtime politician and statesman is gone at 75.

Damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Sometimes both.

The Russian leader’s status as an international pariah is cemented.

We did much better in 2020 and worse since 2021 than we thought.

Two stories about our culture’s focus on punishment

A roundup of reflection on a somber anniversary.

The trailblazing soldier-statesman has died at 84.

The law and justice are frequently not the same thing.

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize Laureate comes from a part of the world that most people almost never think about.

Trying to nail down some basics about a very complicated situation.

It’s been one year since Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, never to be seen in public again. We are no closer to justice in his case than we were a year ago.

One photograph that has gone viral is standing as a visualization of the Trump Administration’s inhumane asylum policies.

The Ebola outbreak that began last year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is still a problem, and still threatening to spread.

Can the ICC get him into the dock?

The response to the latest outbreak of the Ebola Virus has both succeeded and failed in several response.

In a ruling that largely relies on the authority granted by Congress to the President to regulate immigration on national security grounds, the Supreme Court has upheld the final version of the Administration’s travel ban.

In a 5-4 party-line vote, the High Court declared that the Constitution and Federal Law give the President broad authority over immigration.

Ebola is making a reappearance in Central Africa.. Will the world be better prepared this time?

A well-meaning journalist brushes off critiques by experts in the field. He owes it to his readers to keep learning.

Service members deployed to Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tunisia, and Uganda qualify.

Some thoughts about why the president’s remarks on immigration are so problematic.

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

The Trump Administration has issued a new travel ban to replace the temporary one that expired late last week, but it still suffers from most of the same defects as its initial efforts.

President Trump continues his war on one of the most important guardians of American democracy.

President Trump took to Twitter again this morning and promptly shot himself in the foot.

The Administration suffers another defeat in defense of its effort to ban Muslim immigrants.

President Trump has issued a revised ban on travel from six predominantly Muslim nations.

The announcement of a new Muslim travel ban Executive Order has been delayed once again.

Another judicial slap at the Trump Administration.

Two new polls show that most Americans oppose President Trump’s ban on travel from seven majority Muslim countries, but that most Republicans support it.

An initial setback for the Federal Government in its appeal of the ruling putting President Trump’s Muslim travel ban on hold.

A legal victory, at least for now, for opponents of Donald Trump’s ban on immigration from seven majority Muslim nations.

The first day of implementation of President Trump’s order barring immigration from certain Muslim nations did not go smoothly for the Administration.

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

Big news in the war against a horrible virus.

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

An EgyptAir jetliner with 66 on board disappeared from radar just before beginning its decent into Cairo.

The execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric has led to a rapid deterioration of the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

After more than three decades, the men and women held hostage in Iran for 444 days will receive at least some compensation.

Another step forward toward ending a U.S. policy regarding Cuba that was outdated twenty years ago.

Another step forward for U.S.-Cuban relations.

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

Quietly, oil prices have been falling for months now. That’s potentially a very big deal.