Let’s be clear: the United States cannot single-handedly ensure the advance of freedom and democracy around the world. But, notwithstanding all too much conventional wisdom of late, America retains enormous diplomatic, economic, and other capacities to influence the course of events. So, it’s no coincidence that, as Freedom House reported late last week, freedom declined …
Continue reading “Freedom’s decline and U.S. silence move in tandem”
The secret text of recent days that reportedly describes how Iran will implement its six-month nuclear deal raises justifiable fears that, in fleshing out the details, Washington opened the door to more Iranian progress. That neither the United States nor the European Union will release the paper seems ominous, for they’d do so if they …
Continue reading “Critics justifiably fear latest Western deal-making with Iran”
Nearly a decade ago, President Bush provided important moral support to Ukraine’s “Orange Revolution,” criticizing the government after a fraudulent presidential election and pressuring officials to replace it with a fair one. President Obama, the quintessential anti-Bush, has generally eschewed the public promotion of human rights at moments of social ferment, believing the United States …
Continue reading “Washington reclaimed its voice at Kiev. Here’s hoping it doesn’t lose it again.”
In the messy aftermaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, critics of U.S. interventionism abroad have exerted great influence over the direction of U.S. foreign policy, putting interventionists on the defensive. The anti-interventionist ascendancy has clearly influenced U.S. policymaking toward Iran (where President Obama seems determined, at all costs, to avoid military action in response to Tehran’s …
Continue reading “Non-intervention facilitated a victory for tyrants and terrorists in Syria”
The casual observer of recent Middle East activities might as easily conclude that Washington and Tehran are gearing for war, rather than – perhaps – angling for an agreement over Iran’s nuclear program. The United States will participate in a two-week, Israeli-led military exercise this month with more than 100 aircraft and about 1,000 pilots …
Continue reading “U.S., Iran have to sell a deal, not just reach one”
The startlingly open breach of recent days between the United States and its once-solid allies in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere in the Middle East reflects region-wide concerns not only about President Obama’s current policy path but, more broadly, about what they regard as his sinking credibility and rising naivety. The breach is rooted less …
Continue reading “America’s allies are drifting thanks to Obama”
With all eyes in Washington focused on the government shutdown and possible default, policymakers and pundits may have missed what’s potentially the most consequential story of late – a Washington Post piece that catalogues the growing backlash against Tea Party Republicans in districts across the country. In West Michigan, business leaders are recruiting a primary …