Fear and Loathing in America

by James A. Russell A variety of recent opinion polls indicate that a significant portion of the American public remains deeply fearful of international terrorism. Many Americans even feel less safe now than they did before the 9/11 attacks. A… Continue Reading

Bookends of America’s Broken Regional Policy

by James A. Russell It’s hard not to cringe watching the United States careen around the Middle East these days, dispensing bombs, money and political fealty in various doses depending on the crisis of the day to a series of… Continue Reading

Battling ISIS: Some Unanswered Questions

by James A. Russell All wars, no matter how long or short they may be, draw on historical and political context that is germane to the application of force in pursuit of strategic objectives. The ongoing American-led bombing campaign to… Continue Reading

The Middle East’s Unfinished Wars

James A. Russell The predictions of doom in the Middle East that are dominating thinking in the foreign policy commentariat of Washington and other capitals over the spread of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could use a… Continue Reading

Learning the Wrong Lessons from the Wrong Wars

by James A. Russell The apparent beheading of American journalist James Foley adds a particularly gruesome and tragic twist to the sports event-like reporting of our attempts to thwart the advances of the Islamic State in Iraq over the last… Continue Reading