McMaster and commander
Thirteen months as President Trump’s national security advisor
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lone soldiers
Israelis will fight on their own if they must
Op-eds
Israeli-Saudi Deal Over Two Islands Is a Step Toward Peace
Israel and Saudi Arabia have reportedly agreed on a security arrangement enabling Egypt to transfer to the Saudis two strategic islands near Israel. In return for Israel’s acquiescence, Saudi Arabia is...
Insights
Some ‘Modernizer’
Is Saudi Arabia’s crown prince joining a long line of absolutist rulers in the Middle East?
Op-eds
The life, times and foreign policies of Jimmy Carter
One of his wisest advisors attempts to give them a new and improved look.
Op-eds
The United States Finally Has an Aggressive Plan to Defang Iran
Ever since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal earlier this month, the commentariat has been aghast at the lack of a new plan. Critics said that the admin...
Op-eds
The Turkey-Russia reset
The failed coup in Turkey pushed Recep Tayyip Erdoğa...
Op-eds
The Arafat Probe is Fuel for Anti-Israel Conspiracy Theorists
On Tuesday, French prosecutors announced that they had opened an inquiry into the 2004 death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Specifically, they will investigate the suspicions of Suha Arafat...
Op-eds
Time to Get Real in Iran and Syria
Can we agree that Iran and Syria now constitute a single strategic problem? Surely Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, thinks so. Otherwise he would not have ordered the Revolut...
Op-eds
The Shuttered White House and Its Fantasies
I know exactly what is going on inside the Obama White House; the outside world has been banned and only the true believers are welcome. This has very little to do with the many unique f...
Op-eds
Unfortunately, Failure Is an Option
By Reuel Marc Gerecht and Lawrence B. Lindsey One of the standard accoutrements of the decision making process in the West Wing is the three-option "decision memorandum...
Op-eds
A Truth Commission?
A growing chorus of critics is demanding the creation of a special commission to "investigate" the Bush administration's alleged abuses of power, especially prosecution of the war on terrori...
Op-eds
If Democrats Win
According to polls and pundits, voters will soon turn the keys to the House and possibly the Senate over to the Democrats. Less easy to forecast: what that will mean for foreign policy in general...
Op-eds
Symposium: What Happens If the Democrats Win
During the Cold War, Democrats were regarded as weak on national security. From Lyndon Johnson's departure from the White House in 1969 to Bill Clinton's post-Cold War return there in 1...
Op-eds
Constitution Confustion
President George W. Bush is the latest in a long line of American Caesars who have shredded the foundations of the Republic in an often racist and always imperialistic lust for territory, treasur...
Op-eds
The Gaza Gamble
In a few weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to turn Gaza over to the Palestinian Authority. Angry protests have shaken Israel. Gun battles have broken out among rival Palestinian fa...
Op-eds
Let the Battles Begin
A long and hard-fought political campaign has ended, but there will be no rest for the weary. Instead, it's time for new battles to begin. The most consequential will be not between America&...
Op-eds
When American Power Meets the “International Community,” Guess Who Wins?
The "global test," Senator John Kerry explained at the first debate on October 8, is the standard for judging presidential action in defense of American national security. It is the barometer by...
Op-eds
The Democrats’ Dilemma
Democrats face a dilemma: The war on terrorism has restored national security as a priority issue just as a new presidential-election campaign is beginning to take shape. That's a p...
Op-eds
Preemptive medicine
Among the many ways America is exceptional is this: Average citizens living in the heartland often carry more wisdom in their guts than the elites living in the intellectual capitals hold in thei...