All Commentaries
Review: No Exit
North Korea is of perennial security concern to both its neighbors and the United States. In late 2010, satellite data indicated that North Korea possessed a uranium enrichment facility, and now a potential third nuclear test is underway.No Exit: North Korea, Nuclear Weapons and International Security is one of the few books to date in the English language that provides a detailed, beyond-the-Beltway account of North Korea’s history, leadership, and nuclear development.
Con Game
I’m sitting in Starbucks the other day eavesdropping on the conversation at the next table. A man in a suit is trying to sell something to a couple. I’m having a difficult time determining the product. But the pitch is familiar enough. By buying a large number of these items and selling them to their friends, neighbors, and colleagues, the couple will unleash their inner entrepreneur. They’ll make a modest investment and, in no time, score a lot of money. The man in the suit produces a lot of shiny, colorful pamphlets from his briefcase. He tells the couple about how much money he’s made. He tells stories of other lucky couples. He exudes confidence.
800-Pound Gorilla Straggles After Israeli Protesters
At a certain point, the issue of Israeli government support of settlers to the exclusion of the average Israeli will rear its ugly head in Israel’s protests.
The Crisis of Humanitarian Intervention
Events in Libya and Syria have again brought to the forefront the question of armed humanitarian intervention or the “responsibility to protect.” Is it ever legitimate to supersede the principle of national sovereignty with a military intervention aimed at protecting citizens from their government? And if the answer is yes, what circumstances would justify this course of action and how should it be carried out?
The Defense Industry: The Albatross Hanging From the Neck of America’s Economy
No one thinks that Republicans are truly concerned with excessive military spending, but with their posturing about spending cuts, they may have unleashed something they can’t control.
Will Panetta Help the State Department?
Leon Panetta, the new Pentagon chief, got through his confirmation hearings the newfangled way: by revealing as little as possible about what he’d do in office. He tipped his hand a bit more last week by calling “completely unacceptable” the across-theboard military cuts planned in the event the next debt deal fails.
Must Be an Oversight: Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, and Debbie Schlussel Left Off Domestic Extremist List
Hard-right commentator Debbie Schlussel claimed Norway’s “HAMAS Youth” got what was coming to them.
The Ongoing Costs of the Iraq War
When you destroy someone’s property, you usually have to pay compensation. The United States is responsible for much of the destruction that has taken place in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. But instead of offering compensation to the Iraqis, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) has demanded that the Iraqi government pay the United States compensation in dollars for the cost of U.S.-led war. The Iraqi response was to kick Rohrabacher out of Baghdad.
UN Origins Project Series, Part 3: The Author’s First Foray Into the UN Archives
The United Nations Information Organization served stark warnings to the Axis powers that their crimes would not go unpunished and it helped galvanize the American people into action as the defenders of liberty.
UN Origins Project Series, Part 2: The Importance of Information in Wartime
Wartime information galvanized support at home, while encouraging those abroad not to give up the fight until help arrived.