Once “official,” Tea Partiers drop their flirtation with defense cuts and libertarian non-intervention in favor of good old American exceptionalism.
A Progressive-Tea Party Foreign Policy Coalition? Don’t Hold Your Breath
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North America
Obama’s Trip to India: Don’t Rush into a Bilateral Investment Treaty
The U.S. and India should not sign a treaty that will only serve the short-term interests of large corporations, and undermine the authority of governments to protect their people from financial crisis.
Obama Foreign Policy Likely to Face Republican Challenges
While foreign policy issues played almost no role in Tuesday’s election results, the historic Republican landslide will almost certainly make Barack Obama’s vision of a more positive U.S. role in international affairs more difficult to pursue.
Midterm Miscarriage
Even before the polls opened for voting in the U.S. midterm elections, the finger-pointing had already begun. The Obama agenda, instead of coming to term after four years, was suffering a miscarriage halfway through. The potential culprits were many and diverse.
Proposition 19 Is a Vote Heard ‘Round the World
Latin American governments can’t help but ask how the U.S. government can continue to call on them to implement harsh drug control policies when a key policy is being called into question in the United States itself.
What if Nuclear Terrorism Were Just a Mouse Click Away?
With 50 nukes knocked offline, inquiring minds want to know: can hacking be ruled out?
Republican Sees 50 Nukes Knocked Offline as a Chance to Recoup Lost Ground
Republican sees nuke base failure as yet another opportunity to engage in new START obstructionism.
START: Arms Affirmation Treaty
The New START treaty should at best be called an “arms affirmation treaty,” confirming that expensive weapons systems, which include the nation’s nuclear arsenal, remain a national priority. Like the earlier Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, New START insulates nuclear weapons spending, as well as large budgets for other weapons systems.
Is Obama a Turkey or an Eagle?
In 1784 Benjamin Franklin played the tongue-in-cheek naturalist and castigated the decision by the Congress of the Confederation to adopt the bald eagle as the symbol of the United States. The bald eagle, Franklin wrote, lives by “Sharping & Robbing,” watching a “diligent” hawk fishing, and then stealing its hard-earned booty. Rejecting this lazy thief, Franklin preferred that the national honor be borne by the proud but prudent (“tho’ a little vain & silly”) wild turkey.
Worlds Collide at Cancun Climate Talks
The debate over climate change generally transpires within the cloistered confines of expensive hotels, executive boardrooms, and diplomatic halls. As seen in the failure to arrive at binding agreements in Copenhagen, the talks are generally as sterile as the surroundings.