Outside the Beltway

The reputation of the US matters in global affairs.

Donald Trump’s admiration and praise for the dictatorial leader of Russia should be sufficient reason to disqualify him from being President of the United States.

Donald Trump’s strange relationship with reality continues to come to light,

Donald Trump suggests Russia engage in espionage to help his Presidential campaign.0

Voters in the United Kingdom are headed to the polls in a vote that will have widespread consequences.

The rise of Trump and Sanders has resurrected a debate as old as Western civilization.

A treasure trove of documents from a law firm in Panama could prove problematic for a large group of international leaders.

To the surprise of many, Russia’s President announced that Russia would begin winding down its six month old intervention in Syria.

Donald Trump loves the fact that he’s being praised by an autocratic dictator.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had some praise for Donald Trump of all people.

Some analysts are already suggesting that Russia’s two month old intervention in Syria is becoming a quagmire. That seems to be a premature judgment, but it’s not accomplishing much more than anything the West is doing.

NATO is extending full membership to the tiny nation of Montenegro, and there doesn’t seem to be a good reason why they’re doing it.

The British Parliament has approved expansion of that countries airstrikes into Syria, but it’s unclear just how much of an impact that will have on the ground.

France’s President has spent the week trying to forge and agreement on an anti-ISIS policy, but the two nations that matter the most also disagree the most.

Tensions between Russia and Turkey remain high in the wake of yesterday’s incident, but there are some signs that things are starting to cool down.

A potentially big complication in an already complicated situation.

Paradoxically, the children of affluent parents are less happy than those of the poor.

Seemingly disproving yet another round of predictions of his imminent demise, Donald Trump continues to dominate the race for the Republican nomination.

In the wake of the attacks in Paris, there’s a strong impulse to do “something,” but that doesn’t mean we should do something utterly foolish. And a no-fly zone would be utterly foolish.

The investigation continues, but the consensus seems to be growing that Metrojet 9268 was taken out by a bomb.

Republicans have apparently gone insane.

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.

The U.S. and Russia have reached a much-needed deal to avoid inadvertent confrontations over the skies of Syria.

With the exception of Rand Paul, the foreign policy discussion at last night’s debate was about as bad as you’d expect.

A well-founded fear of ISIS seems to be drawing many of the former Soviet Republics in Central Asia closer to Moscow.

In what seems to be a clear signal to Russia, the U.S. is considering pre-positioning military equipment in nation’s very close to Russian borders.

If a Russian solider dies, it’s now a secret thanks to a new decree signed by the Russian President.

Far from being a positive, Hillary Clinton’s time as Secretary of State provides ample material for those who would attack her over the next eighteen months.

Like nearly all of his fellow Republicans, Jeb Bush has adopted the disastrous foreign policy views that typified his brother’s Presidency.

Scott Walker’s response to the Iranian nuclear deal is perhaps the most irresponsible so far.

Ben Carson doesn’t seem to know much about foreign policy or history. And he doesn’t belong on anyone’s list of serious Presidential candidates.

A cease fire deal in Ukraine, but a long term settlement will require compromises from both Moscow and Kiev.

Pressure is building on the Administration to send military aid to Ukraine, but it would be a very bad idea.

For a year that started out with regaining long-lost territory in Ukraine, 2014 is not ending so well for Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

The Obama Administration took some fire yesterday for recent Ambassadorial Appointments, but the President’s record has been consistent with those of his recent predecessors.

Russia’s own government is projecting that its economy will slip into recession next year. How that will impact Putin’s current belligerence remains to be seen.

A new poll finds that a majority of Germans support sanctions against Russia, even if those sanctions end up hurting the German economy.

Vladimir Putin’s latest actions seems to have exhausted Germany’s patience.

Vladimir Putin’s reception at the G-20 Summit in Australia has been less than warm thanks to recent events in Ukraine.

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

A major escalation.

The rebels in eastern Ukraine continue to suffer setbacks, and Russia is massing troops on the border again.