Democracy, when it suits us
DEMOCRACY IS DISINTEGRATING in Venezuela, and American leaders are outraged. Our vociferous ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, denounced a recent constitutional referendum in Venezuela as a “sham” and “another step toward dictatorship.” Senators Marco Rubio and Bob Menendez asserted that the leftist Venezuelan government has created a “lawless environment,” and demanded that the […]
Tillerson’s open-ended Syria war proves US is stuck in Mideast quicksand
When Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced last week that American troops would remain in Syria indefinitely, he sounded much like the legendary nation-grabber Theodore Roosevelt. “We have hoisted our flag, and it is not fashioned of the stuff which can be quickly hauled down,” Roosevelt declared during debate over the Philippine War more than a century ago. “There must […]
Don’t get too excited about the protests in Iran
WHENEVER TROUBLE breaks out in Iran, adrenaline rushes through Washington. Hearts pound excitedly at the Pentagon, the CIA, the White House, and Congress. In recent weeks, reports of street protests in several Iranian cities have triggered this Pavlovian response. Once again, however, Americans who have spent decades hoping for an explosion in Iran are disappointed. “Regime […]
What will happen in 2018? Take my quiz
UNPREDICTABILITY IS THE hallmark of the new world disorder. No year in living memory as astonishing as 2017. When it began, few could have imagined that the United States would trash its alliance with Europe, support a savage bombing campaign in Yemen, re-ignite conflicts with Cuba and Iran, and cozy up to brutes like those ruling […]
The State Department’s naughty lists
MOST OF US carry lists in our heads. They help us deal with the world. We have mental lists of people we like or dislike, foods we enjoy or avoid, and politicians we admire or detest. This is a useful impulse for individuals, but it is dangerous for nations. Over the last few decades, the United […]
