The Tragic Mediocrity of the Beltway
There are two types of Americans: those who dwell inside-the-beltway and the vast majority who are outside of it. The United States may have been […]
Trump White House
Dear Ex-Friends in #TheResistance
Hey, what’s up. Long time no talk. I think the last civil conversations we had occurred just days before November 8, 2016. You were supremely […]
Naked is the Best Disguise: The Bipartisan Deep State
One of the mysteries of the deep state is just how deep it is. Like the Kryptos sculpture in the courtyard of the Central Intelligence […]
The Wise Guy Wisdom of the Trump Revolution
During the 1980s—the heyday of the flamboyant, headline-grabbing New York mafioso, including Carmine “The Snake” Persico, Tony “Ducks” Corallo, and Vinny “The Chin” Gigante—an ambitious […]
How Democracies End: A Bureaucratic Whimper
This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper. ― T.S. Eliot One strange trait of […]
For European Action on Iran, Look Beyond Berlin
Mainstream views of European politics very rarely look past the Franco-German motor. President Trump’s verdict on the European Union as “basically a vehicle for Germany” […]
Trump’s Common Sense Realism
Have you read Richard Fernandez’s interesting article on President Trump’s decision to withdraw America from the Obama nuclear deal? It is worthy of close reading. […]
Another Flawed Attempt at Criminal Justice Reform
Criminal justice reform is returning to political prominence, thanks to Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, one of its most ardent advocates. Ordinarily, that might be […]
The Myth of the Surge
Trump is mostly hitting the mark as president, because his lodestar appears to be reversing every single thing undertaken by Barack Obama. Since the Obama […]
For Trump, the End of the Beginning
Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from Barack Obama’s fantasy “Iran deal” brings a much-needed dose of realpolitik to a fossilized Washington foreign-policy establishment that has […]
Searching for the Authoritarian Trump
A lot of public intellectuals and writers are pushing an alarming thesis: President Trump is a menace to the American Republic and a threat to […]
A Tale of Three Syrias: What Lies Ahead for President Trump
With the Syrian Civil war now in its seventh year—thanks to the confluence of ongoing bloodshed, sectarian tension, and foreign intervention—we now have one of […]
House Freedom Caucus: Don’t Trivialize Impeachment
House Freedom Caucus members have prepared articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. The reasoning behind this absurd tactic? They don’t like the […]
The Rape Culture of Politics by Investigation
Former Trump campaign advisor Michael Caputo condemned the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday following his closed-door testimony. His words, no doubt, resonated with every Trump […]
Mr. President: Talk to Mueller Now, or Plead the Fifth Later
The long negotiations between Donald Trump’s legal team and the gaggle of professional witch-hunters employed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller may yet produce a formula […]
What if Mueller Questioned Barack Obama?
Imagine if a right-wing version of Robert Mueller, backed by a properly pro-Trump legal team, had sent former President Barack Obama the same sort of […]
China’s Dream of Global Economic Dominance
With the implementation of President Trump’s tariffs last month, China is all the talk in the world of trade. The tariffs in question place $50 […]
Is Trump Now Bad Cop or Good Cop?
During his first 15 months as president, Donald Trump has postured as the bad cop. He railed about NATO members welching on their promised contributions […]
American and French Interests Do Not Align in the Middle East
The French came to Washington. They saw, but they did not conquer. America’s relationship with France may be its oldest, but it is certainly not […]
A Tax Cut Worthy of a Worker’s GOP
Republican Congressional leaders are talking about voting on a second tax cut bill later this year. The tax cuts passed last year were made permanent […]