Afghanistan
I haven’t been closely following the news from Afghanistan in recent days, partly because it’s so depressing, but mostly because I don’t think knowing additional detail would change my general view of the situation. I don’t doubt that Biden made ...
Read MoreBig Lie or Grand Delusion?
Longtime readers may recall that I have devoted any number of posts to the question of Donald Trump’s peculiar relationship—or, rather, lack of relationship—to the truth. The general question I’ve posed is whether Trump actually believes the torrent of falsehoods ...
Read MoreBiden and Cuba
Bob Kutner, co-founder and editor of the excellent left-wonkish journal The American Prospect, has long been one of my favorite commentators on economic policy and its politics. He doesn’t often talk about foreign policy, but in his latest newsletter post ...
Read MoreWho’s waging the culture wars?
For many years—decades, even—the American right-wing has been waging culture wars, stoking the fears and resentments of white, Christian Americans over issues like abortion, race, crime, immigration, guns and gays. The idea is to displace economic issues, on which the ...
Read MoreYes, it’s fascism
It’s gruesome, but if you can stand it, you really should watch the NY Times video compilation of the Jan. 6 insurrectionist riot. It’s the most riveting 40 minutes of action on a small or big screen that you’re likely ...
Read MoreThe US and China
In his recent meetings with NATO allies President Biden had some difficulty in convincing them of Washington’s view of the gravity of the China threat. But just what is the China threat? It’s certainly not military, at least not to ...
Read MoreCold War(s) Redux?
The two major foreign policy challenges facing the Biden administration are Russia and China. Both of these countries are governed by ugly, brutal regimes, but they are regimes with which the US perforce must deal, while minimizing the risks of ...
Read MoreThe Threat: How Bad?
I’ve been saying for years that Donald Trump and the party/cult he commands represent a serious threat to American democracy as we know it. Of course, I’ve been far from alone—my view of the Trumpist threat is widely shared not ...
Read MoreWhat two-state solution?
Tsipi Livni, Israel’s leading centrist politician, makes a strong plea for a two-state solution to the historic conflict over Palestine—two states for two people. There’s only so much you can say in the space allotted for an op-ed, but Livni ...
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