Outside the Beltway

The would-be President is floundering as he tries to position himself.

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

Vladimir Putin is banning commodity exports.

The first shoe has dropped.

Why does the U.S. continue to pursue the seemingly impossible goal of denuclearization with regard to North Korea? In part, it’s because we’re still locked into thirty-year-old rhetoric.

Representatives from 195 nations reached an agreement supposedly devoted to addressing global climate change, but it’s really more hype than anything else.

Greek voters rejected the latest bailout package, but that only seems likely to make things even worse for them.

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

If recent polling is to be believed, the bid for Scottish independence is going to go down in flames.

Twenty-five years after his seminal “End of History” article, Francis Fukuyama reflects on its legacy.

Yet another autiobiography invites public discussion about her accomplishments.

China sends a message, and the U.S. responds. What happens next is anyone’s guess.

My latest for The National Interest has posted.

As President Obama’s red line has been crossed more brazenly, he continues to sound reluctant to intervene in Syria while positioning forces to do just that.

Walter Russell Mead explains why a well intentioned, carefully crafted and consistently pursued grand strategy failed.

Time to “pivot to the economy” again.

The French were indignant about reports of the NSA’s surveillance programs. Now we know they have own of their own.

The blowback from yesterday’s revelations about U.S. surveillance on European allies continues.

Has the West inadvertently handed Iran a victory in Syria?

A new poll shows that 62% of Americans oppose American military intervention in Syria’s civil war.

Walter Russell Mead presents his sitrep of the War on Terror.

North Korea’s latest provocations may be testing the patience of their patrons in Beijing.

The candidate’s meet for one last time tonight to talk about some of the most important issues in the world.

The worst elements among the Syrian rebels seem to be the ones getting the arms.

The argument that the United States should start assisting the rebellion in Syria has many flaws.

Last night’s Vice-Presidential debate was combative, but is unlikely to have a major impact on the race for President.

Turkey’s military has attacked Syria several times since Syrian forces shelled a Turkish village.

Ben Bernanke thinks doing more of the same is just what the economy needs.

Challenge the ideas of those with whom you disagree, not their patriotism, decency, or integrity.

Today’s convention activities will include the opening salvos of an attack on the President’s foreign policy. This strikes me as a mistake.

Tropical Storm Isaac won’t be as much of a danger to Tampa as feared, but it’s still having an impact. That’s all because of bad scheduling ideas.

Under German law, this ceremony, which Jews believe dates from the time of Abraham, is now illegal.

As public education continues to wallow in the past, some parents are looking elsewhere for alternatives.

Some interesting developments in Pyongyang.

The factors influencing Russian policy in Syria are many, and some of them are quite ancient.

A spate of bad economic news foretells a shift in the campaign for President.

The blind Chinese activist who daring escape from house arrest set off a diplomatic brouhaha that grabbed the world’s attention is about to get his wish to come to America.

Chelsea Clinton’s hiring as an NBC personality is another hit for the meritocracy myth.

Are America’s political parties become irrelevant?

Mitt Romney played it safe on a controversial issue again.

James Carville has some advice for Barack Obama. It boils down to “be like Bill Clinton.”

A new look at Clarence Thomas’s 20 years on the Supreme Court, from a critic, is surprisingly positive.

Most students need remedial classes. Whose fault is that?