UNFOLDING EVENTS IN Washington and Beijing raise the disturbing specter of a global passing of the torch from the United States to China, one with frightening implications for freedom and democracy. First, President Donald Trump seemed to applaud from afar as China’s leader consolidates his power over a more authoritarian government at home, while the …
President Donald Trump’s dismissive comments about the new United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea, contrasting sharply with the boasts of his State Department, reflect the harsh reality that a sanctions-driven approach to reversing Pyongyang’s nuclear progress seems increasingly problematic. That means that Washington is nearing a sobering decision: whether to “contain” a nuclear-armed …
“I want Russia to be successful,” President Barack Obama told reporters on Friday after chastising Vladimir Putin for his stepped-up militarism in Syria. “This is not a contest between the United States and Russia. It is in our interest for Russia to be a responsible, effective actor on the international stage that can share burdens …
The Iranian nuclear deal may be the most audacious diplomatic effort that any president has ever launched and, tragically, it rests on a set of beliefs that belie any serious understanding of Tehran or the region. By his own words, President Barack Obama is trying through this deal to turn a sworn and longstanding U.S. …
As global talks over Iran’s nuclear program resume in Vienna this week, one can’t help wonder whether, in a larger sense, the die of an Iranian regional, military and economic victory has already been cast. From Washington to Berlin, Moscow to Beijing, and many places in between, Iran’s isolation is disappearing as governments and businesses …
A quarter-century ago this month, East Germany’s communist leaders announced they were opening the Berlin Wall in an act that, as much as anything else during that momentous year, symbolized the Cold War’s end. The anniversary is timely, for it provides history lessons that seem particularly relevant at a time when America is re-thinking its …
Continue reading “3 Lessons From the Fall of the Berlin Wall”
The poll numbers are undeniable. Disillusioned by Afghanistan and Iraq, focused on domestic concerns, Americans increasingly want their nation to reduce its global footprint and stop trying to solve the problems of others. A cautious, poll-driven President Obama responds predictably, defining America’s global interests more narrowly and eschewing calls to address humanitarian horror, protect human …
Continue reading “What FDR Can Teach Obama About American Leadership”