Foreign Policy
My New Washington Post op ed on Biden, Syria, and War Powers
I argue that the recent air strike was legal, but overall US military intervention in Syria still lacks required congressional authorization. Biden may be trying to change that; but history gives reason for skepticism.
Biden Indicates Openness to Replacing War Authorizations with "Narrow and Specific" Framework
This initiative might help restore congressional control over war authorization. But there is reason for skepticism that it will pan out.
Biden Says He Wants War Authorizations Repealed
Just keep an eye on the small print. The wars might officially end while still allowing inappropriate military meddling.
Colombia Is Giving Legal Status to Migrants Fleeing Venezuela
The country just gave almost 2 million Venezuelans a pathway to citizenship.
The Constitution and Biden's Syria Air Strike
The strike was probably legal (as were similar small-scale strikes by Trump). But there are serious constitutional problems with the overall US military presence in Syria.
Facebook Restores News Links in Australia After Getting Some Concessions
Big outlets get subsidies. The government still gets to pick winners and losers.
The All-American Arms Dealer
Samuel Cummings built a global weapons empire in Washington, D.C.'s shadow.
Obama Official Still Defends Doctrine That Led to Disastrous Libya Strikes
Anne-Marie Slaughter hasn’t given up on intervention and the “responsibility to protect” doctrine.
Should Biden's Choice for Secretary of State Discourage Libertarians?
President Joe Biden's promised return to normality will unfortunately extend to his administration's foreign policy.
The Queen's Gambit
The protagonist's speedy evolution into an anti–Cold Warrior is the better subplot.
Instead of Lifting Trump's Tariffs, Biden Is Imposing More of Them
Reimplementing 10 percent tariffs on aluminum imported from the United Arab Emirates for vacuous national security reasons only entrenches executive authority over trade.
Biden Cuts Support for Saudi War in Yemen, But It Should Only Be the First Step
What should come next for the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship
America Will Welcome More Refugees as Biden Lifts Trump's Misguided Restrictions
The United States will accept 125,000 refugees in the fiscal year that begins on October 1, up from the current record low level of 15,000 set by the Trump administration.
Let's Finally Get Out of Afghanistan
The Biden administration should take advantage of the opportunity to cut our losses instead of continuing the forever war.
Don't Let Biden Sink Troops Back Into the Afghanistan Quagmire
We have an agreement to pull out by May. We should honor it regardless of the state of the country.
Does America Really Need the Foreign Agents Registration Act?
The U.S. has an interest in protecting its political system from manipulation by foreign enemies or their paid agents. But treason and espionage are already illegal, as is bribery.
Biden Administration Affirms Support for Protectionist Jones Act, Throwing Hawaiians, Puerto Ricans to the Sharks
Pandering to maritime unions means higher costs and harsher lives for coastal minority populations.
Rock Legend Frank Zappa Battles Censorship, Communism, and Conformity in a New Documentary
Alex Winter's new film celebrates the Rock Hall of Famer's individualism, anti-authoritarianism, and entrepreneurship.
Trump's Immigration Policy Was Brutal and Inhumane. Will Biden Fix It?
Obama was also no immigration hero.
Dysfunctional and Disorderly at Home, the U.S. Must Stop Meddling Abroad
Our own house is not in order, and Washington has no business policing the world or forcibly remaking other countries in its own image.
Sex, Communism, Race, and Creative Freedom in Hollywood
Like the Hays Code and Waldorf Statement before it, new diversity requirements are Tinseltown's way of asserting cultural dominance through self-policing.
U.S. More Than Meets Pledged Copenhagen Climate Accord Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cuts
"The vast majority of 2020's emission reductions were due to decreased economic activity."
Why Is America Still In Syria?
Trump brought chaos to a region already on the brink, and the unintended consequences of his actions will reverberate for years to come.
A Silicon Curtain Descends
Trump escalated America's war against Huawei and China. Biden should beware burgeoning technonationalism.
Alex Winter: Frank Zappa's Ultra-Individualist Legacy
The rock legend fought for free speech and self-expression in ways that appealed to dissidents in America and communist countries alike.
Americans and Their Foreign Entanglements
Nothing in U.S. history suggests that ordinary Americans are isolationists—but nothing suggests they've embraced international adventurism either.
Lindsey Graham Says Trump Will Sign Spending Bill if It Takes Aim at Section 230
Plus: One in seven NYC chain stores closed, Columbus officers turned off body cams before fatal shooting, and more....
The Massive SolarWinds Hack Won't Stop the Feds from Wanting All Your Data
Government surveillance doesn't just violate privacy rights; it’s a major security risk.
Ted Cruz, Chinese Communist Party Agree: Keep Hongkongers Trapped in China
Cruz not only dimmed America's status as a bastion of freedom for the world's oppressed people, but spat upon his own heritage as the son of a political refugee.
The U.S. Government Spent Billions Failing To Defend Its Own Agencies From Cyberattacks
Plus: Google gets hit with another antitrust lawsuit, the U.S. falls in a new ranking of human freedom, and more...
The Same U.S. Government That Wants To Weaken Our Encryption Just Got Massively Hacked
Let's not weaken cybersecurity even more.
Assessing Trump's Experiment With Protectionist Trade Policies
The Trump years were more than infuriating on trade matters—they were destructive.
Trump Undermined Civilian Control of the Military. With His Pentagon Pick, Biden Has Too.
Civilian control over the military still matters.
Biden Should Strive To Be Better Than Both Trump and Obama on Central America
The administration’s approach should discourage the drug war, encourage immigration.
Biden's Natsec Team Is Conventional in Style—and, Unfortunately, Policy
Joe Biden's natsec team fulfills his campaign promise of a return to normalcy and conventional Washington. That also means maintaining the failed status quo of the post-9/11 era.
Implementing my Pledge to Donate Royalty Payments to Charities Benefiting Refugees
Giving Tuesday is an appropriate time for me to begin carrying out my pledge to donate 50% of the royalties generated by my book "Free to Move" to charities benefiting refugees.
Sneaking Section 230 Reform Into the Defense Bill Is a Terrible Idea
Plus: Bar food police strike in New York, study finds COVID-19 circulating in the U.S. last December, and more...
Glenn Greenwald on Biden, Free Speech, and Leaving The Intercept
There’s no journalist more relentlessly iconoclastic than Greenwald, who won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Snowden revelations.
Glenn Greenwald: Nothing Trump Did Compares to the 'Moral Evil' of Bush's and Obama's Wars
The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist on Joe Biden, free speech, and leaving The Intercept for Substack.
Joe Biden's Secretary of State Pick Has Been an Avid Backer of American Military Intervention
The president-elect's forthcoming nomination of Antony Blinken as the country's top diplomat suggests an appetite for continuing America's role as the globe's policeman.
The History of Fabric Is the History of Civilization
Virginia Postrel's new book explores economics, politics, and technology through textiles.
Taghi Amirani on the Legacy of the U.S.-Backed Coup in Iran
Amirani argues that the 1953 coup became the "playbook" for future U.S. covert actions in countries such as Guatemala, Vietnam, and Chile.
How to Stop America's 'Endless Wars'
The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft is promoting a more restrained foreign policy from inside the Beltway. But will the Biden administration listen?
A Partial Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal Prompts Predictable Political Backlash
For some, Trump’s troop drawdowns are too fast and too much. In reality, they’re too little and way too late.
Pentagon Fails Another Audit, Will Likely Get Budget Increase From Congress Anyway
Auditors now say the military may be able to pass an audit before the end of the next decade, so at least that's something.
