All Commentaries
Portugal Struggles to Meet Troika Conditions
The European Central Bank, the European Commission, and the International Monetary Fund find themselves at odds with another Eurozone country.
Infantalizing North Korea
Political Cartoonists love to portray North Korea as an irrational and infantile force. It’s either a baby with a nuclear rattle or a little truant in need of a timeout. The relative youth of the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, encourages such representations, but the practice predates his ascension to power. It’s time for us to grow up in our assessments of North Korea. Belittling North Korea, literally and figuratively, ultimately prevents us from developing our own mature alternatives.
Syria: Great Game or Just a Tug of War?
None of the sides is close to a decisive military victory.
Imperial Gigantism and the Decline of Planet Earth
What if the unipolar moment turns out to be a planetary moment in which previously distinct imperial events fuse into a single disastrous system?
Make Migrants, Not War in North Korea
Recent inter-Korean tensions have rekindled debate over methods for moving the North Korean government away from weapons development. If an upcoming United Nations human rights report can establish a framework and funding mechanism to assist refugees who have crossed the border into China, it might be more effective than either sanctions or traditional engagement.
Would Pakistan Respond to India’s Use of Conventional Weapons With Tactical Nukes?
Nuclear weapons have always had the power to cloud men’s minds.
Trade-Offs Needed to Enhance U.S. Soft Power
Retired Gen. David Petraeus and Michael O’Hanlon are correct that we should protect funding for the State Department and the Agency for International Development (“Fund — Don’t Cut — U.S. Soft Power” POLITICO, May 1) because doing so enhances our national security. Their comments are in line with those of former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who made this point several times during his time in office.
Minot’s Launch Control Fail: Reason #532 Why Nuclear Deterrence Is a Fragile Foundation for Peace
Seventeen nuclear launch officers at the Minot Air Force Base were given poor reviews and stripped of their duties.
It’s Time to Delist Cuba
John Kerry’s ascent to U.S. Secretary of State generated a discussion about taking Cuba off the State Department’s list of “state sponsors of terrorism.” Given Kerry’s generally reasonable position on Cuba in the past, it was perhaps not surprising that he considered this option. Nonetheless, on May 1, the U.S. State Department announced that Cuba would remain on its list. It’s a serious mistake.
High Times in Yugoslavia
Meanwhile, Yugloslovia promoted a third path between communism and capitalism: worker self-management and a limited private sector.