Why Haven’t We Defeated al-Shabaab?

by Diana Ohlbaum “We’ve been fighting al-Shabaab for a decade, why haven’t we won?” the Trump transition team asked the State Department. To foreign policy professionals, such questions may sound naïve and uninformed. They may reflect “an overwhelmingly negative and… Continue Reading

The Sayings of President Trump

by Robert E. Hunter Words matter. This is especially so when uttered by the president of the United States on foreign policy and national security and with an attentive foreign audience. As in ordinary life, some things, once said, can’t… Continue Reading

A Case for Demilitarizing the Military

by Gregory Foster Item: Two U.S. Navy patrol boats, with 10 sailors aboard, “stray” into Iranian territorial waters, and are apprehended and held by Iranian revolutionary guards, precipitating a 24-hour international incident involving negotiations at the highest levels of government… Continue Reading

Shinzo Abe and the Apology Olympics

by John Feffer Imagine an international event sometime in the near future known as the Apology Games. It is held every four years and features teams of professional diplomats, politicians, and conflict resolution specialists (with a few actors thrown into… Continue Reading