Obama, Tell Me How this Ends
December 23, 2009
"Tell me how this ends," David Petraeus posed at the outset of the Iraq war. It remains salient nearly eight years later, and in a wider context. How will the long war end? Not well, concludes Boston University's Andrew Bacevich.
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Obama's Folly
December 03, 2009
Rather than trying to salvage Bush's policy in Afghanistan, explains Andrew Bacevich, the president should show real courage and just pull the plug.
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Time to Leave
Obama's nation-building project in Afghanistan is a costly folly says the Cato Institute's Christopher Preble.
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Hollow Victory
November 03, 2009
The University of Chicago's John Mearsheimer predicts how the ideological war between Democrats and Republicans will play out in Afghanistan.
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The 'Safe Haven' Myth
October 31, 2009
Ohio State University Professor John Mueller debunks the myth that a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan would create a safe haven for Al Qaeda.
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False Dichotomy
October 29, 2009
The New America Foundation's Michael Cohen scrutinizes Stephen Biddle's case for counterinsurgency in Afghanistan.
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Root Causes
At The New Republic Online, Andrew J. Bacevich asks us to figure out our aims in Afghanistan before we talk strategy there.
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New Afghan War Assumptions Must Be Weighed before a Surge
October 26, 2009
Ohio Wesleyan University professor and Eisenhower Institute fellow Sean Kay, writing in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, calls for a strategic reassessment in Afghanistan.
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The Price of Security 11.06.09
October 22, 2009
Prof. Daniel Wirls, Professor of Politics at UC Santa Cruz and the Cato Institute's Dr. Christopher Preble discuss the politics of national security spending at the University of California's Washington Center.
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Afghanistan: The Proxy War
October 11, 2009
Andrew J. Bacevich reframes the war in Afghanistan as a contest between competing factions...in the United States.
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Illusions of Victory
September 28, 2009
Writing in DefenseNews, retired Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor reveals the pitfalls of current U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.
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Who's Afraid of a Terrorist Haven?
September 16, 2009
Writing in the Washington Post, counterterrorism expert Paul R. Pillar questions the conventional wisdom on whether Afghanistan would again become a terrorist haven.
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U.S. Must Narrow Objectives in Afghanistan
The U.S. mission in Afghanistan has expanded dramatically over the past year. Malou Innocent and Christopher Preble explain that it is time for a reset.
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Letter to President Obama Regarding Afghanistan
September 15, 2009
Letter to President Obama Regarding Afghanistan:
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Coalition Issues Letter to President Obama Regarding Afghanistan
The Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy issued a letter to President Obama urging him to refocus U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. In the letter, a group of eminent authors and international affairs scholars express their concern about expanding the U.S. military commitment to Afghanistan. The signers included many who had publicly opposed the invasion of Iraq before it began. The signatories pointed out that the administration's goals in Afghanistan were growing overly ambitious, that achieving them was unlikely, and that their pursuit would come at expense of other national priorities, both foreign and domestic.
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Withdrawal without Winning?
September 14, 2009
Columbia University's Robert Jervis, writing on ForeignPolicy.com's AfPak channel, makes a compelling case for withdrawal.
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Doubting Afghanistan
September 11, 2009
The American Security Project's Bernard Finel asks 10 key questions about the war in Afghanistan.
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Should the United States Withdraw from Afghanistan?
September 04, 2009
The Cato Institute hosted a discussion of U.S. policy in Afghanistan on Monday, September 14, 2009.
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Win, Hold and Lose
September 02, 2009
Nation building is a failed policy. So, Ted Galen Carpenter asks, why are we trying it in Afghanistan?
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The War We Can't Win
August 14, 2009
Andrew Bacevich weighs in on the war in Afghanistan.
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United Colors of Democracy
August 01, 2009
The Cato Institute's Ted Galen Carpenter explains why Americans see Thomas Jefferson in every would-be revolutionary around the world.
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It's Time for U.S. To Leave Afghanistan
May 25, 2009
Douglas Macgregor makes the case for withdrawal from Afghanistan in Defense News.
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How Dangerous Are the Taliban?
April 15, 2009
Ohio State University Professor John Mueller explains why Afghanistan is the wrong war.
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Woodrow Wilson's War
February 22, 2009
Michael C. Desch, a professor of political science and fellow of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, reviews two important new books.
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Empire Falls
January 22, 2009
University of Chicago professor Robert Pape examines the roots of America's impending decline from global primacy and offers a path forward to rebalancing our global military posture.
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Another War, Another Defeat
John Mearsheimer surveys the reckage left behind after Israel's latest incursion into Gaza.
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Advice for the SecDef
Harvey Sapolsky, professor emeritus of Public Policy and Organization at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, offers some well-timed advice for the Obama administration's national security team.
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Pentagon 1, Obama 0
January 21, 2009
The military budget for FY 2010 projects further massive increases over and above the double-digit increases of the past decade. Benjamin Friedman wonders why President Obama's pledge to scrutinize every line item of the federal budget doesn't apply to the Pentagon.
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Obama's Afghan Challenge
January 09, 2009
Lehigh University's Rajan Menon explains that military victory in Afghanistan can be elusive, as the British and Russians found.
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Obama: Break Your Afghan Pledge
December 14, 2008
Writing in the Harvard Crimson, Robert Paarlberg urges President Obama to rethink his campaign pledge to expand the war in Afghanistan.
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The Case for Restraint
November 06, 2007
MIT's Barry Posen takes to the pages of The American Interest to make the case for a new direction in U.S. foreign policy.
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Picking Up after Failed War on Terror
Andrew Bacevich delivers a devastating critique of the Bush administration's war on terror in the Los Angeles Times.
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Betting on the Wrong Donkey
November 05, 2007
In the latest issue of The National Interest, Christopher Preble reviews Kurt Campbell and Michael O'Hanlon's Hard Power: The New Politics of National Security.
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Assessing the Surge 09.20.07
September 12, 2007
Christopher Preble, James Dobbins, and Marc Lynch discussed the troops surge in Iraq, and pondered America's options going forward.
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Being Right Matters
August 10, 2007
Cato Foreign Policy Analyst Justin Logan has an idea for holding foreign policy pundits accountable for their past misjudgments -- and occasional insights.
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A Troubling Interventionist Consensus
August 08, 2007
Over at the National Interest Online, David Rieff and Christopher Preble bemoan the foreign policy community's fixation on military intervention.
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D.C. Elites Want You to Shush on Iraq
August 02, 2007
Blogger Matthew Yglesias takes to the pages of the Los Angeles Times to explain the bipartisan disaster that is our foreign policy.
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Barack Obama's American Exceptionalism
July 13, 2007
Senator Barack Obama has worn his opposition to the war as a badge of honor. But as Christopher Preble argues, that will only carry him so far.
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America's Next Steps in Iraq 7.18.07
July 11, 2007
Sen. Chuck Hagel spelled out his vision for the future of Iraq at a Capitol Hill briefing.
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I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose. We Were Both Doing Our Duty.
May 27, 2007
Memorial Day has new meaning for a father who has just lost a son. Andrew J. Bacevich, a professor of history and international relations at Boston University, explains why.
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A Dangerous Idea for Redeployment
May 17, 2007
Redeployment to Kurdistan is no panacea for our problems in Iraq, warns the Cato Institute's Ted Galen Carpenter in the Baltimore Sun.
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Losing Mythic Authority
Michael Vlahos of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory weighs the costs of America's failure in Iraq.
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The Risks of Staying vs. Leaving Iraq
April 19, 2007
MIT's Barry Posen examines the case against military withdrawal from Iraq.
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Event: The End of Alliances 05.01.07
April 17, 2007
On Tuesday, May 1st, the Cato Institute hosted a book forum with Lehigh University Professor Rajan Menon discussing his new book, The End of Alliances (Oxford, 2007).
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'Your Iraq Plan?' Is a Pointless Question
April 09, 2007
Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich tells readers of the Los Angeles Times to look beyond Iraq.
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Energy Alarmism: The Myths That Make Americans Worry about Oil
April 06, 2007
In a new paper, Eugene Gholz of the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin and Dartmouth's Daryl Press shed light on the true nature of the oil market, dispelling the falsehoods underpinning current U.S. foreign policy.
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To Russia with Realism
April 02, 2007
New America Foundation Senior Research Fellow Anatol Lieven takes to the pages of the American Conservative magazine to argue that one Cold War is enough.
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Spinned Surge
March 13, 2007
Writing in the American Prospect (Online), Cato's Justin Logan skillfully picks apart Robert Kagan's thin defense of the surge.
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Escaping the Trap: The Case for Withdrawal from Iraq 03.14.07
March 01, 2007
The Cato Institute hosted a panel discussion on Iraq with leading experts Ted Galen Carpenter, Steve Simon, and Gen. William Odom on Wednesday, March 14th.
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Rescinding the Bush Doctrine
Writing in the Boston Globe, Andrew Bacevich outlines the rights and responsibilities of Congress with respect to the Iraq war.
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U.S. Can Endure an 'Unfavorable Outcome' in the Iraq War
February 16, 2007
Writing in the Star-Ledger of New Jersey, the Cato Institute's Justin Logan puts the Iraq war into context.
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Event: The Silence of the Rational Center 2.13.07
January 31, 2007
The Cato Institute held a book forum on Tuesday, February 13th to discuss The Silence of the Rational Center by Stefan Halper and Jonathan Clarke.
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Budgeting for Empire
In a new report published by the Independent Institute, David Isenberg looks at the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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The Myth of an al Qaeda Takeover of Iraq
January 30, 2007
Writing in the Sacramento Bee, the Cato Institute's Ted Carpenter questions the president's assertion that al Qaeda will take over Iraq after the U.S. military withdraws.
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Going for Broke
January 29, 2007
In a cover story for The American Conservative, Andrew Bacevich explains why the Bush administration ignored the advice of the Iraq Study Group.
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Osirak Redux?
January 15, 2007
Leon Hadar explains why an Israeli strike on Iran would pin the U.S. down in Iraq and resuscitate the neocons.
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How to Deal with Iran: Options for Today and for the Future 12.11.06
November 27, 2006
On Monday, December 11, 2006, the Cato Institute hosted a half-day conference on U.S. policy options for Iran.
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Withdrawal from Iraq: Some Pain Now or More Pain Later
Ted Galen Carpenter ponders the meaning of an Iraq War that has now lasted longer than U.S. involvement in World War II.
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What New Direction?
November 14, 2006
Voters sent a clear message on Iraq, explains Christopher Preble. It remains to be seen how politicians will respond.
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Bush Is Still 'The Decider'
November 09, 2006
Charles A. Kupchan and Peter L. Trubowitz throw some cold water on the Democrat's post-election euphoria. The president controls foreign policy, and George Bush has two more years in office.
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A Republican Fratricide?
November 08, 2006
Nikolas Gvosdev, editor of The National Interest, ponders the ramifications of the 2006 elections on U.S. foreign policy, with a particular focus on the debate within the GOP.
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Fighting over Who Lost Iraq
November 07, 2006
Boston University professor Andrew J. Bacevich surveys the neo-cons' faux mea-culpa in the pages of the Los Angeles Times.
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A War, or Un-War?
November 03, 2006
Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy Senior Fellow Charles Pena debates J. Peter Pham from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies on the war on terrorism.
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Don't Blame Maliki for America's Iraq Problems
November 01, 2006
Cato Institute foreign policy analyst Justin Logan explains who is responsible for the catastrophe unfolding in Iraq.
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The U.S. Military and Counterinsurgency 11.02.06
October 20, 2006
On November 2nd, the Cato Institute hosted a policy forum "The U.S. Military and Counterinsurgency: What We Have Learned in Iraq and Afghanistan"
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Reconnecting With the Reality-Based Community
The American Conservative's Scott McConnell reviews Anatol Lieven and John Hulsman's book Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World.
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On the Offense
October 19, 2006
No matter what the facts say, President Bush insists that we stay the course writes Boston University Professor Andrew J. Bacevich.
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Christians in the Crossfire
October 18, 2006
Doug Bandow documents the suffering of Iraq's small -- and dwindling -- Christian community in the pages of The American Conservative.
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America's World Role Has to be Realistic and Moral
October 17, 2006
Anatol Lieven and John Hulsman, co-authors of Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World, explain the essence of their strategy in the Financial Times.
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Why America Keeps Losing 'Small Wars'
October 16, 2006
Jeffrey Record traces America's failures in small wars to our unique strategic culture.
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Pakistan's Russian Roulette of Terrorism
October 09, 2006
Foreign policy analyst Subodh Atal warns that the West is playing a dangerous game in Pakistan.
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Misreading the Tea Leaves: U.S. Missteps on Foreign Policy
October 06, 2006
How has the Bush administration erred? Harvard's Stephen Walt counts the ways in the Boston Globe.
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Liberating Ourselves
October 05, 2006
Writing in The American Conservative magazine, Paul W. Schroeder makes the case for military withdrawal from Iraq.
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Ethical Realism 10.10.06
October 04, 2006
Anatol Lieven and John Hulsman discussed their new book, Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World, with additional comments from Lawrence Kaplan and Joseph Cirincione.
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Beware a New Bush Doctrine
Seyom Brown of the Belfer Center at Harvard University outlines the fuzzy parameters of a new Bush Doctrine.
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How to Really Win the War on Terrorism
September 15, 2006
On Friday, September 22nd, The Independent Institute hosted a discussion on the war on terrorism featuring Charles Pena, Senior Fellow with the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy.
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Responding to Anti-Americanism in the Arab World 09.12.06
September 05, 2006
The Donald & Paula Smith Family Foundation presented a debate featuring David Frum, Craig Charney and Leon Hadar at City University of New York.
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Bipartisan Disaster
August 31, 2006
Anatol Lieven laments the lack of foreign policy choices afforded to the American public by the two major parties.
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Mind the Gap
August 30, 2006
Writing in the American Prospect Online, Justin Logan observes that Democratic voters have unambiguously repudiated the Bush doctrine. The same can't be said for Democratic foreign policy elites.
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Why Further Withdrawals by Israel Make Most Sense
August 24, 2006
Michael C. Desch explains the logic of Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories in The Houston Chronicle.
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Anti Iraq War, Pro Terror War
August 22, 2006
Christopher Preble challenges Joe Lieberman's claim that Ned Lamont's victory is a victory for terrorists.
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Slam-Dunk Wars Don't Equal Wins
August 21, 2006
Boston University's Andrew Bacevich weighs in on why military victories don't always produce positive long-term results.
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Iraq or Bust
August 18, 2006
Charles Pena offers a common-sense solution to the Army's personnel problems.
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'Long War' a Tragic Misstep
August 11, 2006
David Isenberg reviews Charles Pena's book Winning the Un-War: A New Strategy for the War on Terrorism for the Asia Times.
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The War on Terrorism Five Years after 9/11
August 09, 2006
The Cato Institute will host a discussion of the war on terrorism on Friday, September 8, 2006.
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Washington's Masochistic Policy in Iraq
August 08, 2006
Cato's Ted Galen Carpenter questions the logic behind staying-the-course in Iraq in an op ed in the San Francisco Chronicle.
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The Left Gets Real
August 07, 2006
Writing in The Nation, Eyal Press explores the unique alliances forged by widespread opposition to the Bush administration's foreign policy.
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Isolationism? Hardly.
August 03, 2006
Christopher Preble explains that the American public's rising opposition to the Bush Doctrine is a mark of common sense, not isolationism.
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Bombs Won't Turn Lebanese Hearts
August 01, 2006
Ted Galen Carpenter explains in the Philadelphia Inquirer why air power is counterproductive to winning hearts and minds.
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A Plan for Afghanistan
July 28, 2006
Anatol Lieven and Rajan Menon offer some suggestions for Afghanistan in Newsweek International.
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Jaw-Jaw Is Better Than War-War
July 25, 2006
Writing in Defense News, David Isenberg makes a compelling case for diplomacy with Iran, and he finds support for this position from an unlikely source.
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What's an Iraqi Life Worth?
July 14, 2006
Boston University's Andrew Bacevich explores the accidental killing of Iraqi civilians in the Washington Post Outlook section.
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Leon Hadar Discusses Sandstorm 07.27.06
Leon Hadar discussed his book and the state of U.S. policy in the Middle East at a public event hosted by the Cato Institute.
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Paying Tomorrow's Military
MIT's Cindy Williams says that non-cash benefits may not be the best way to attract and retain service members in Cato's Regulation magazine.
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Hasty Plans a Bigger Threat Than N. Korea
June 28, 2006
Writing in the New York Daily News, Cato's Ted Galen Carpenter warns against an attack on North Korea.
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Divided and Conquered
June 26, 2006
American Conservative editor Scott McConnell reports on his travels in the Middle East.
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The Two Fukuyamas
Anatol Lieven reviews Francis Fukuyama's recent work in The National Interest.
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Right Against War with Iran 06.21.06
June 14, 2006
Ivan Eland, Philip Giraldi, Doug Bandow and Chuck Pena presented the case against war with Iran at a special Coalition event on Capitol Hill.
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Winning the Un-War 06.14.06
June 13, 2006
Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy senior fellow Charles Pena discussed his new book, Winning the Un-War: A New Strategy for the War on Terrorism at the New American Foundation on Wednesday, June 14.
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Prophets in Their Own Land
June 12, 2006
Michael C. Desch surveys the controversy surrounding John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt's "The Israel Lobby" in the June 19, 2006 issue of The American Conservative.
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Iran: Gulf War III?
June 01, 2006
An attack on Iran would mean steep costs and uncertain victory explains Coalition Senior Fellow Charles Pena in The American Conservative magazine.
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Putin versus Cheney
May 19, 2006
New America Foundation Senior Research Fellow Anatol Lieven provides a hard-hitting look at the similarities in the world views of Putin and Cheney.
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Of Mullahs and MADness
Paul Starobin explains the history of deterrence in The National Journal. The United States managed to deter Chairman Mao, we should be able to deter the mullahs.
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Two Normal Nations 06.12.06
May 17, 2006
On Monday, June 12th, the Cato Institute hosted a panel discussion on the U.S.-Japan strategic relationship.
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The Bush Administration Snubs Taiwan
May 16, 2006
Ted Carpenter points out the United States' confused and confusing policy toward Taiwan for FoxNews.com.
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Europe Undersells Diplomatic Expertise to U.S.
May 14, 2006
Writing in the Financial Times, Jonathan Clarke offers some advice for European diplomats trying to get out from under the U.S. shadow.
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'Comrade Wolf' and the Mullahs
May 12, 2006
Pat Buchanan weighs in on the benefit of negotiations with Iran. We have a lot to talk about.
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America Against the World: How We Are Different and Why We Are Disliked 05.16.06
May 10, 2006
On Tuesday, May 16th, the New America Foundation hosted a panel discussion on "America Against the World: How We Are Different and Why We Are Disliked" featuring the Pew Research Center's Andrew Kohut; and Bruce Stokes of the National Journal and the German Marshall Fund.
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Stability in Iraq and the Middle East 05.17.06
May 09, 2006
Coalition founder Christopher Preble discussed U.S. policy in Iraq on the campus of Xavier University, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Wednesday, May 17th.
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Christopher Preble Discusses Democracy Promotion 05.18.06
May 04, 2006
The World Affairs Council of Cincinnati hosted Coalition founder Christopher Preble as he discussed democracy promotion on Thursday, May 18th.
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Announcing the Launch of Across the Aisle - A New Blog
The Parnership for a Secure America's new weblog features nine regular commentators, including Coalition scholars David Isenberg, Eugene Gholz and Christopher Preble.
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Military Muscles Bulging in SE Asia
May 03, 2006
David Isenberg reports from Kuala Lumpur on military spending in Southeast Asia for the Asia Times.
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The United States May Have to Live With a Nuclear Iran
May 02, 2006
Writing at Antiwar.com, The Independent Institute's Ivan Eland surveys the prospects for diplomacy, and the costs and risks of military action, in dealing with Iran.
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Free Speech for Generals
May 01, 2006
Writing in the Baltimore Sun, Ted Galen Carpenter explains why there is nothing wrong with military officers speaking their mind.
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What We Know About Iran
April 25, 2006
David Isenberg debunks the myths surrounding the Iranian threat and warns of the likely effects of a preventive attack at TomPaine.com.
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At the Very Least, Let's Not Repeat Iraq
Iraq and Iran might be neighbors, but if the Bush administration is committed to confrontation with Tehran, they would be wise to adopt a different approach. Paul Gessing offers some suggestions for avoiding past mistakes.
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Fukuyama at the Crossroads
April 24, 2006
Christopher Preble reviews Francis Fukuyama's latest book for The American Conservative magazine.
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U.S. Must Offer Iran Diplomatic Deal
Ted Carpenter and Justin Logan of the Cato Institute explain why negotiations with Iran must be given a chance to succeed.
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Insecurity With Insolvency
April 18, 2006
The president's National Security Strategy is vague on fiscal details and ignores geopolitical realities explains Boston University's Andrew J. Bacevich in The American Conservative.
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How to Get Out of the Iran Trap
New America Foundation Senior Research Fellow Anatol Lieven writes about Iran for the WashingtonPost.com.
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Don't Let Iraq's Sunni-Shia Conflict Spread Through the Mideast
The Cato Institute's Ted Galen Carpenter explains what can be done to prevent a civil war in Iraq from engulfing the entire region in the Globe and Mail.
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Sanctions Against Iran
Rep. Ron Paul explains why sanctions against Iran are likely to make a bad situation even worse -- for Iranians and Americans alike.
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What Victory Lost
April 11, 2006
Wayne Merry ponders the might-have-beens of U.S. foreign policy, were it not for the disastrous war in Iraq.
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How to Lose the Brain Race
Coalition co-founder Steven Clemons and Michael Lind weigh in on the immigration debate in the New York Times.
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Iran: The Logic of Deterrence
Christopher Layne, writing in The American Conservative magazine, explains that Tehran's quest for nuclear weapons is a rational response to a real threat.
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Winning the Un-War 04.18.06
April 04, 2006
Charles Pena will discuss his new book, Winning the Un-War: A New Strategy for the War on Terrorism at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.
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Mission Improbable
March 30, 2006
The American Conservative's Scott McConnell observes that even the neoconservatives, who so long for a war with Iran, concede that it isn't feasible.
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A Disoriented U.S. Can't Lead on Iran
Justin Logan explains why the United States must have a coherent policy on Iran in the Baltimore Sun.
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Weighing the Costs of Today's Defense Strategy
March 21, 2006
MIT's Cindy Williams discusses U.S. military spending in the Boston Globe.
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Prospects for Democracy in the Middle East 03.29.06
Christopher Preble participated in a panel discussion hosted by The Johns Hopkins University Foreign Affairs Symposium.
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Time for Bush to Turn Realist
March 19, 2006
Steve Clemons urges President Bush to think about his foreign policy legacy.
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There Is Menace in America's Policy of Prevention
March 18, 2006
Anatol Lieven renders a perceptive critique of the Bush administration's National Security Strategy for the Financial Times.
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How China Can Reassure Neighbors, U.S.
March 17, 2006
Ted Galen Carpenter offers Beijing some suggestions for reassuring both the United States and the PRC's neighbors in East Asia at FoxNews.com.
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What's Going on in Moldova?
March 08, 2006
Wayne Merry explores a nine-year old arms deal with modern-day implications in The Washington Times.
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Christopher Preble on Democracy Promotion 03.06.06
March 02, 2006
Christopher Preble spoke at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine on Monday, March 6th.
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The Wrong Way to Fix Iran
March 01, 2006
Charles A. Kupchan and Ray Takeyh explain why the Bush administration's approach to regime change in Iraq is likely to fail.
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With Good Intentions: U.S. Foreign Policy and Humanitarian Intervention 03.14.06
February 28, 2006
David Rieff, Charles Kupchan, Nikolas Gvosdev and Christopher Preble discussed U.S. foreign policy and humanitarian intervention at the Cato Institute on March 14th.
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We Can Live with a Nuclear Iran
February 27, 2006
MIT's Barry Posen weighs in on the dangers posed by Iran's nuclear program in the New York Times.
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The Rise of U.S. Nuclear Primacy
Daryl G. Press and Keir A. Lieber explore the implications of U.S. nuclear primacy in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs.
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The Rise of the Corporate State in Russia 03.07.06
February 25, 2006
On Tuesday, March 7th, the Cato Institute hosted Andrei Illarionov, former economic adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing "The Rise of the Corporate State in Russia."
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Who Will Decide When We Leave Iraq?
February 24, 2006
Christopher Preble wonders how the Bush administration will respond if elected officials in Iraq demand that U.S. forces leave.
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Overstating Iran's Threat
February 23, 2006
BASIC's David Isenberg explains that fears of a pending nuclear attack from Iran badly miss the target.
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Gary Hart Discusses "The Shield and the Cloak" 03.02.06
February 22, 2006
On Thursday, March 2nd, The New America Foundation hosted former Senator Gary Hart discussing his latest book, The Shield and the Cloak: The Security of the Commons (Oxford, 2006).
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War in Error
February 16, 2006
Andrew Bacevich questions the wisdom of the U.S. missile strikes in Pakistan that killed as many as 18 residents of the small village of Damadola.
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Democracy and Its Discontents
Leon Hadar explored the implications of the Hamas victory in last month's Palestinian elections in the February 27th issue of The American Conservative.
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Rethinking the Military's Mission
February 15, 2006
Gordon Adams examines the unexplored assumptions in the Pentagon's Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) for The Chicago Tribune.
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The Limits of Propaganda
The model of Cold War-era propaganda does not apply in the modern Middle East, explain Anatol Lieven and David Chambers in the Los Angeles Times.
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Is "Old Europe" Doomed?
February 14, 2006
Manhattan Institute fellow Theodore Dalrymple contends that "Old Europe" is doomed. Georgetown's Charles Kupchan, a member of the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy, isn't so sure.
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Revisions in Need of Revising: What Went Wrong in the Iraq War
David C. Hendrickson and Robert W. Tucker, both members of the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy, draw some crucial lessons from the problems faced by U.S. forces in Iraq.
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The "Isolationism" Canard
Justin Logan deconstructs President Bush's claim that anyone who opposes his policies must be an isolationist.
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Intelligence, Policy and the War in Iraq
In an article that has received widespread media attention, retired intelligence professional Paul R. Pillar renders a devastating indictment of the Bush administration's dysfunctional relationship with the intelligence community.
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Beyond Preemption and Preventive War
February 10, 2006
MIT's Cindy Williams calls on the nation's leaders to rebalance military and nonmilitary spending in the interest of advancing American security.
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Democracy not an Export Item
February 09, 2006
Writing in The Australian, Cato's Leon Hadar finds that many people in the Middle East do not understand the basic principles of liberal democracy.
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Of Power and Providence
Colorado College's David C. Hendrickson renders a thoughtful and engaging counterpoint to Robert Kagan's thesis on the decline of Europe in Policy Review.
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Dubious Assumptions about Iran
Cato's Ted Galen Carpenter examines the logic, or lack thereof, guiding U.S. policy toward Iran for FoxNews.com.
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What Now for U.S. Middle East Policy?
The National Interest and the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy sponsored a roundtable discussion on the future of U.S. policy in the Middle East, in the wake of last month's Palestinian elections.
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The Gap between U.S. Rhetoric and Reality
February 02, 2006
Anatol Lieven of the New America Foundation explains why the United States cannot afford to use the rhetoric of spreading democracy as an excuse for avoiding other pressing national grievances.
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What Isolationism?
Boston University's Andrew Bacevich challenges the president's assertion that anyone who opposes his policies must be an isolationist in the pages of the Los Angeles Times.
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Exit Strategy
February 01, 2006
MIT's Barry Posen explains why it is in the U.S. interest to disengage from Iraq within the next 18 months, in an essay for the Boston Review.
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Political Earthquake in Palestine
January 31, 2006
The Independent Institute's Ivan Eland weighs in on the Palestinian elections and the future of U.S. policy in the Middle East.
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Bush's Call to Stay the Course Is Simply an Act of Folly
January 30, 2006
Ted Galen Carpenter challenges the president's stubborn insistence on "staying the course" in Iraq in The Daily Star.
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Peace Candidate, '68 Vintage
The American Conservative's Scott McConnell renders a poignant and personal look at the life of Eugene McCarthy.
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Getting Real(istic) About Nonproliferation
Charles Pena challenges those in the arms control community to revisit their assumptions about nonproliferation.
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Policy of Restraint Offers Best Payoff
January 24, 2006
Ted Galen Carpenter explores U.S. options for dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions and urges policymakers to proceed with caution.
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America's Coming War with China, Cato Book Forum, 01.25.06
January 16, 2006
On Wednesday, January 25, 2006, the Cato Institute hosted a book forum featuring America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan with the author, Ted Galen Carpenter.
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If Not Empire, Then What?
January 12, 2006
The National Interest and the Nixon Center, in conjunction with the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy, convened a panel discussion exploring the question "If Not Empire, Then What?"
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Like Tourists with Guns
January 11, 2006
Christopher Preble reviews Robert Kaplan's latest book, Imperial Grunts, in the pages of The American Conservative.
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The West's Ukraine Illusion
January 09, 2006
Anatol Lieven casts a skeptical glance at the West's relations with Ukraine, and warns of what it could mean for relations with Russia.
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The Imperious President
January 06, 2006
Empire leads inexorably toward the expansion of executive power, but David Isenberg explains how George Bush has taken the practice to new heights (or lows).
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End this Evasion on Permanent Army Bases in Iraq
January 05, 2006
Gary Hart urges Congress and the American people to demand accountability on the question of permanent bases in Iraq, and not be fooled by rhetorical sleights of hand.
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Coalition vs. Commentary, Round Two
December 27, 2005
Stephen Walt, Scott McConnell, Justin Logan and Christopher Preble respond to Gary Rosen's review essay in Commentary magazine.
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Electing to Fight, Cato Book Forum, 01.12.06
December 20, 2005
On Thursday, January 12, 2006, the Cato Institute hosted a book forum with Jack Snyder and Edward D. Mansfield discussing their book Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War.
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The Jury Is Still Out on Iraqi Democracy
The New America Foundation's Steven Clemons considers the future of Iraq in The Australian.
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If U.S. Leaves, Al-Qaeda Will Not Inherit Iraq
December 19, 2005
Chris Preble and Justin Logan offer a corrective to the Bush administration's worst-case scenarios in The Daily Star.
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Fear, and Other Tales of Empire
December 16, 2005
The Winter 2006 issue of The Independent Review features articles by several scholars affiliated with the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy.
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The Worst and the Dullest
December 14, 2005
Scott McConnell renders a thoughtful and eloquent review of George Packer's The Assassin's Gate in the pages of The American Conservative.
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Humanitarian Intervention and Democratization
December 12, 2005
The Winter 2005 issue of Orbis includes an essay by James Kurth on humanitarian intervention, and another by William Anthony Hay on the foundations of liberal democracy.
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Innocent Abroad
December 09, 2005
Leon Hadar explains that even the slickest marketing campaign cannot overcome international hostility toward U.S. foreign policy.
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Debate: Islam vs. Western Civilization 12.13.05
December 07, 2005
On December 13th, Jonathan Clarke participated in a debate at the City University of New York, sponsored by the Donald and Paula Smith Family Foundation.
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Reducing Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa through Trade
December 06, 2005
Marian Tupy explores the linkages between free trade and poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa.
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America on Its Own in Iraq War
December 02, 2005
Ted Galen Carpenter explains why it is unrealistic to expect much international help in Iraq.
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Fighting Talk, but Who's Going to Fight?
December 01, 2005
David Isenberg surveys progress and problems in the Iraqi security forces for Asia Times.
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Decadent America Must Give Up Imperial Ambitions
November 29, 2005
U.S. foreign policy is based on an unsustainable imperial model, explains New America Foundation senior fellow Anatol Lieven in an article originally published in the Financial Times.
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From Washington Think Tanks, Few Fresh Thoughts
November 27, 2005
In an op ed for the Daily Star (Beirut), Coalition senior fellow Charles Pena finds that the shelves in the marketplace of ideas are often empty.
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The Future of American Military Strategy 12.5.05
November 22, 2005
Coalition members Charles V. Pena, Eugene Gholz and James Kurth were among the speakers at a day-long conference in Philadelphia hosted by the Foreign Policy Research Institute.
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An Iran Trap?
The United States has invaded two of its neighbors within the past four years, but Iran does not appear to be intimidated. Stanley Kober wonders why.
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New Balance
November 21, 2005
Jonathan Clarke reviews Stephen Walt's book, Taming American Power in the Washington Monthly.
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The Weekly Standard's War
Scott McConnell renders a devastating critique of the magazine, and the people, who brought us the Iraq War.
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U.S. Should Call It a Wrap after Iraq Elections
November 18, 2005
Christopher Preble points to the parliamentary elections to be held next month as the last best milestone for a U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq.
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Navigating America's China Challenge
November 17, 2005
Steve Clemons, Senior Fellow and Director of the American Strategy Project at the New America Foundation, offers his thoughts on the U.S.-China relationship.
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Bad For You Too?
November 14, 2005
Leon Hadar explains why some Israelis have come to hate the Iraq War.
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The War on Terror: Implications for Domestic Security and Civil Liberties 11.17 - 11.18.05
November 11, 2005
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation and The Independent Institute hosted a conference exploring the War on Terror and its effect on domestic liberty and security.
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Should a Free Society Draft Its Citizens? 11.17.05
November 10, 2005
Thursday, November 17, the Coalition's Doug Bandow participated in a debate at Ohio State University on the subject of the military draft.
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The Realist Persuasion
November 07, 2005
Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich explains why realism deserves a second look.
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Fanning the Flames in the Balkans
November 06, 2005
Ted Galen Carpenter, vice president of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, seeks a truly lasting solution to the problems in the Balkans.
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A New Approach to US Foreign Policy
November 04, 2005
As public support for the Iraq war continues to plummet, Christopher Preble suggests that future foreign policy adventures will be tempered by a new sense of realism.
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Stay What Course?
November 03, 2005
The Cato Institute's Gene Healy and Justin Logan explain why muddling through in Iraq is no longer an option.
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A Capitalist Peace?
November 02, 2005
Doug Bandow explains that markets might be more important than democracy at preventing war.
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War Powers in the Age of Terror
November 01, 2005
In a New York Times op-ed, Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich recommends that presidential war-making powers should be limited, as the Constitution clearly stipulates.
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Dresden -- Budapest -- Tbilisi -- Baku
October 31, 2005
Jon Basil Utley travels from Germany to Azerbaijan and discovers that liberal democracy is moving forward in fits and starts.
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It's Still SNAFU for U.S. Intelligence Community
October 21, 2005
David Isenberg warns that the presidential commission appointed to review intelligence failures relating to weapons of mass destruction in Iraq avoided dealing with the 'politics of intelligence': a problem that is likely to continue to fester.
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The Six-Party Talks and the Future of the North Korean Nuclear Program 11.2.05
October 19, 2005
The Cato Institute will host a policy forum on the North Korean nuclear program featuring Joseph DeTrani, U.S. Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks on Wednesday, November 2nd.
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The World Watches as U.S. Attempts Its Restoration
Harvard's Stephen Walt ponders the limits of American power in a timely commentary in The Financial Times.
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We Do Not Deserve These People
October 18, 2005
New America Foundation Senior Research Fellow Anatol Lieven renders a must-read review of a must-read book, Andrew J. Bacevich's The New American Militarism.
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A New York State of Mind
October 13, 2005
Coalition Senior Fellow Charles V. Peña makes some pointed observations about homeland security and U.S. foreign policy at Antiwar.com.
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Contrary As Usual
October 12, 2005
Ray Close, a former senior CIA officer with many years experience in the Middle East, offers his thoughts on U.S. strategy in Iraq, and of the domestic politics of exit.
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Cheney's Counterproductive Policies Toward Terrorists
October 11, 2005
Ivan Eland ponders Vice President Cheney's approach to solving the problem of terrorism at Antiwar.com.
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The Emporer's New Consensus
October 10, 2005
The American Conservative's Scott McConnell offers his views on the state of foreign policy discourse in Washington.
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Feeding a Failed State's Hungry
October 02, 2005
Cato's Doug Bandow shows how aid to North Korea serves to prop up Kim Jong-Il's Stalinist regime.
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Bush Misreads History
October 01, 2005
The Cato Institute's Ted Galen Carpenter warns that a little historical knowledge can be dangerous, particularly when a selective reading of history leads to unwise policy.
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Empire Without Apologies
September 27, 2005
Boston University's Andrew Bacevich dissects Robert Kaplan's latest book, Imperial Grunts, in a brilliant review for The Nation.
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United Nations Reform: Beyond the Blame Game 9.26.05
September 19, 2005
Christopher Preble, executive director of the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy, will discuss UN Reform at a Capitol Hill event sponsored by the Cato Institute.
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If You Can't Lick 'em, Try Diplomacy
Anatol Lieven, senior research fellow at the New America Foundation, contemplates the lessons, post-9/11 and post-Iraq, for U.S. diplomacy in the International Herald Tribune.
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Betting on a Bolder Japan
September 16, 2005
Steven Clemons and Andrew Oros explore Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's stunning victory in the recent Lower House elections.
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Conference: Beyond Bullets 9.21.05
September 15, 2005
On Wednesday, September 21, 2005, the New America Foundation will sponsor a policy conference "Beyond Bullets: Economic Strategies in the Fight Against Terrorism" at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.
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The Curious Case of American Hegemony
September 14, 2005
Colorado College professor David Hendrickson comments on the Bush Doctrine in the Summer 2005 issue of the World Policy Journal.
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Splitting Islam
September 12, 2005
Professor James Kurth of Swarthmore College proposes a Shi'ite-Sunni strategy for surviving the War on Terror in a recent issue of The American Conservative.
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Taming American Power
September 08, 2005
Coalition member Anatol Lieven, a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation, reviews Stephen Walt's important new book, Taming American Power in the New York Times.
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Conference: Terrorism, Security, and America's Purpose
September 05, 2005
The Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy was proud to be one of several co-sponsors for this event, and at least five different scholars affiliated with the Coalition spoke. In addition to conference organizer Steve Clemons, the other Coalition speakers were: Charles Kupchan, Anatol Lieven, Stephen Walt, and Ivan Eland.
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Bring It On, and On, and On
August 29, 2005
Doug Bandow of the Cato Institute challenges President Bush's strategy for the war on terrorism in an article for Reason.com.
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Who Will Say 'No More'?
August 23, 2005
While the anti-war movement gains momentum, Gary Hart searches for courage among the political elite. He's still looking.
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Call It a Day
Andrew Bacevich scores again with this commentary on the Iraq war in the Washington Post.
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CANCELLED: A Book Discussion with Leon Hadar 08.31.05
August 18, 2005
Leon Hadar discusses his new book, Sandstorm: Policy Failure in the Middle East, at this Capitol Hill event.
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A Surprisingly Sober Look at China
August 17, 2005
Ted Galen Carpenter, author of a forthcoming book on China and Taiwan, and Justin Logan, examine the China threat as seen from the Pentagon
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Supporting the Troops
August 16, 2005
Former U.S. ambassador Ed Peck deconstructs the "support the troops" movement.
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The Strategic Class
August 12, 2005
The Democratic Party is doomed to repeat the mistakes of Iraq, warns Ari Berman of the The Nation, if they continue to listen to the "strategic class."
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Military Wreckage
July 18, 2005
Coalition member Doug Bandow explains what is wrong with Republican foreign policy in the American Prospect online.
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Who's Bearing the Burden?
July 13, 2005
The all-volunteer force (AVF) is failing. If President Bush continues on his present course, explains Andrew Bacevich, he will run out of soldiers long before he runs out of wars.
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Ethical Realism 7.13.05
July 07, 2005
Anatol Lieven of the New America Foundation, and the Heritage Foundation's John Hulsman, will discuss their recent article in the National Interest at the New American Foundation.
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Reconnecting to the World
July 05, 2005
Sherle Schwenninger of the World Policy Institute and the New America Foundation offers his approach to a more peaceful world in a cover story in The Nation.
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Don't Dig Yourself in Deeper
June 30, 2005
Christopher Layne, writing in The Australian, critiques President Bush's most recent speech on Iraq.
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Command Responsibility
June 28, 2005
Andrew Bacevich questions the decision to reward Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez with a fourth star in an op-ed for the Washington Post.
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Iraq: Exit or Empire?
June 22, 2005
Gary Hart explores the question: "Are we, or are we not, building permanent military bases in Iraq?" at The Huffington Post.
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Overestimating China's Help With North Korea
June 20, 2005
The Bush administration should not expect China to "deliver" North Korea explains Ted Carpenter in this article for FoxNews.com.
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Shi'ites: Game; Kurds: Set; Sunnis: Match; US: Loss
June 17, 2005
Leon Hadar ponders the inconsisencies and shortcomings of America's policies in the Middle East in a recent article for the Singapore Business Times.
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Locking Down Loose Nukes 6.29.05
June 16, 2005
The Cato Institute hosted a policy forum exploring the costs and benefits of the Nunn-Lugar cooperative threat reduction program, and other counterproliferation initiatives.
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You and What Army?
June 15, 2005
The military's recruiting problems demonstrate that U.S. foreign policy is unsustainable, Christopher Preble explains. The solution? Less intervention.
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Conference "The Past is Never Far Away," 6.23.05 - 6.25.05
June 13, 2005
Over 200 top scholars discussed their work at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland beginning on Thursday, June 23. Learn more about the 2005 meeting of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR).
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A Discussion with Richard Haass 6.15.05
June 09, 2005
The New America Foundation, in association with the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy, hosted a discussion with Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass.
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Fighting Blind in Iraq
June 08, 2005
MIT professor Barry Posen warns that the United States is facing a long and indecisive struggle in Iraq unless it obtains better intelligence on the insurgency.
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Coalition, 2: Podhoretz, 0
June 01, 2005
The Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy jumped into the fray with two letters in response to recent articles by Norman Podhoretz. See the letters in their entirety, before they were truncated by Commentary editors.
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The Good Strategist
May 31, 2005
Scott McConnell, editor and publisher of the American Conservative, ponders George Kennan's passing in a recent issue of the magazine.
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The Lure of Military Society
May 23, 2005
Richard Betts reviews Andrew Bacevich's new book on American militarism for the The American Conservative
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Gary Hart on Democracies Confronting Terror 5.18.05
Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart delivered the keynote address at a meeting sponsored by the Security and Peace Institute on May 18, 2005.
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The Joys of Flying
May 19, 2005
Charles Pena wonders how the "No-Fly List" became a "No-Land" directive in this article in the American Spectator online.
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Credit, deserved or not, goes to the winner
May 17, 2005
Jonathan Clarke wonders "What if Bush was right in Iraq" in the Washington Monthly.
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Eastern Fronts
May 16, 2005
Ted Galen Carpenter and Justin Logan question the durability of U.S. security relationships with South Korea and Taiwan in The American Prospect Online.
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True Patriots Should Worry More about Freedom at Home
May 09, 2005
Ivan Eland comments on the incongruity of spreading freedom abroad while stifling it at home
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How The Democrats Have Been Paralysed By Bush
May 06, 2005
Anatol Lieven explains "How The Democrats Have Been Paralysed By Bush" in the Financial Times.
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Preserving a Nation: America's Security in the Age of Terrorism 4.23.05
April 20, 2005
The Coalition's Michael Desch answered the question: "Has the Invasion of Iraq made America more Secure?" at a conference sponsored by The American Cause.
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Alliances and Counter-alliances in Asia
April 19, 2005
Stanley Kober traces how security relationships in Asia are shifting in response to U.S. and Chinese power.
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A June Attack on Iran: Will it Secure America?
Foreign policy analyst Subodh Atal contemplates the horrors of nuclear terrorism, and urges the Bush administration to step back from a confrontation with Iran.
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Foreign Oil Dependence and National Security: What to Do? 5.5.05
April 18, 2005
The Cato Institute will host a debate over the national security implications of U.S. oil consumption.
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No Schisms on the Right? Conservatives and U.S. Foreign Policy 5.10.05
April 17, 2005
The Coalition's Ted Galen Carpenter, along with five other experts, will discuss the foreign policy schism (or lack thereof) on the political right.
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The New American Militarism 5.27.05
April 16, 2005
Andrew Bacevich discussed his book, The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War, at a Cato Institute Book Forum on Friday, May 27.
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International Law and Universal Empire: A View from the 18th Century
April 15, 2005
Colorado College professor David Hendrickson spoke earlier this month at the American Society of International Law in Washington, D.C.
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A Long and Blinding Road
April 12, 2005
Doug Bandow urges readers to approach recent developments in the Middle East with caution. Read story....
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Destiny Not in Iraqis' Hands
April 06, 2005
Carolyn Eisenberg explains Iraq's difficulties in forming a new government in an article published by Newsday. Many of these problems flow from the "interim constitution" written by American legal experts and handpicked Iraqis. This document complicated the efforts of elected...
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Forcing North Korea's Hand
April 04, 2005
Ted Galen Carpenter calls for bold measures to move the stalled six-party talks forward in an article published on FoxNews.com....
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Sharansky's Double Standard
March 30, 2005
The Coalition's Michael Desch questions the inconsistencies in Natan Sharanksy's positions on democracy and human rights. Read story....
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Michael Desch Speaks to the San Antonio World Affairs Council
March 29, 2005
Coalition member Michael Desch addressed the World Affairs Council of San Antonio on March 10, 2005.
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Andrew Bacevich Discusses Iraq and the Bush Doctrine
March 22, 2005
Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich debated Peter Feaver of Duke University at a recent event at the American Enterprise Institute.
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Taiwan as security-free rider
The United States finds itself in an increasingly uncomfortable position between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. Ted Galen Carpenter and Justin Logan explain why it is time to revisit the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
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Spreading Democracy: By Force or Example?
March 07, 2005
Stanley Kober traces the expectations and excesses Napoleon's attempts to export the French Revolution. The stories constitute a cautionary tale for those seeking to export liberal democracy in the 21st century.
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Bush's choice: messianism or pragmatism?
February 24, 2005
By Anatol Lieven President Bush's rhetoric, particularly his support for "freedom", taps into a messianic tradition that runs throughout U.S. history. Anatol Lieven warns about the harmful effects that this "American Creed" might have on U.S. and global security....
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In the National Interest
February 18, 2005
Stephen M. Walt convincingly argues that the United States needs a new grand strategy, one that capitalizes on America's strengths in ways that encourage other states to cooperate with us -- rather than compete against us....
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Ending Tyranny: Easier Said Than Done
February 11, 2005
By Christopher Preble President Bush's inaugural address has aroused much discussion, both here in the United States and abroad. But while the language was occasionally inspiring, many listeners recognized the enormous gulf between rhetoric and reality. No one can quarrel...
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Loaded With Dynamite
by Andrew Bacevich Embedded in President Bush's second inaugural like an IED buried alongside an Iraqi highway, is the following assertion: "America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one." At first glance, the sentiment could hardly appear more...
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Defense Spending, National Security, and the War on Terrorism 2.10.05
February 02, 2005
At a Cato Institute policy forum, Coalition scholars Charles Pena and Christopher Preble will be joined by other experts on defense spending to discuss the massive U.S. military budget.
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Transatlantic Relations After the Inauguration 1.31.05
January 27, 2005
The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) will host a roundtable discussion on Transatlantic Relations After the Inauguration with Steven C. Clemons of the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy and The New America Foundation; Peter Schneider, Author and...
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Chasing Liberty
January 26, 2005
By Martin Sieff President George W. Bush's powerful and moving Second Inaugural was a clarion call to aid the spread of liberty around the world at a time when that is already dramatically happening. But the forces determined to confound...
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Spreading Democracy Worldwide
by Leon Hadar US President George W Bush has attempted to set the tenor and the goals of the second term in office, when he declared in his inaugural speech that in the next four years he would commit himself...
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Folly in Exporting 'Liberty'
By Michael Desch In his second inaugural address last week, President George W. Bush boldly declared: "It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture,...
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Ending the Israeli-Palestinian Stalemate Will Help Win the War on Terror
The continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict undermines U.S. security interests in the Middle East, and globally. Michael Desch and Robert Jervis call for a more even-handed approach to the peace process on the part of the Bush administration.
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Christopher Preble discusses John F. Kennedy and the Missile Gap
January 20, 2005
Coalition member Christopher Preble will discuss his new book, John F. Kennedy and the Missile Gap.
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Ending the Israeli-Palestinian Stalemate and US National Security
January 06, 2005
A Coalition News Conference Wednesday, January 12, 2005 3:00 PM National Press Club (Murrow Room) 529 14th St., NW Washington, DC 20045
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Rift is Real, but Curable
January 04, 2005
Wayne Merry explores how to reshape the relationship between the United States and Europe in order to meet the realities of the 21st century.
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Ending the Israeli-Palestinian Stalemate
January 01, 2005
A new statement from the Coalition urges the United States to assist in negotiating a formal end to the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate as a way to improve U.S. national security objectives in the Middle East. Download PDF version of this statement.
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The Korean Conundrum 01-12-05
December 22, 2004
On Wednesday, January 12, 2005, Coalition members Ted Carpenter and Doug Bandow discuss their new book, The Korean Conundrum: America's Troubled Relations with North and South Korea at the Cato Institute....
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Not All Nuclear Is Bad
December 21, 2004
Ted Galen Carpenter explains that all forms of nuclear proliferation are not created equal. Paradoxically, nuclear weapons in the hands of stable, democratic states might advance the cause of peace and stability.
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Iraq and the Election of 2004
December 03, 2004
Drawing on historical and economic models, Christopher Preble shows that Iraq nearly cost President Bush a second term. If the president is forced to continue to spend political capital in 2005 to support the occupation of Iraq, Preble explains, it could undermine his domestic agenda.
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No Adult Supervision
November 23, 2004
A wave of resignations within the Bush administration provide hints as to the direction of U.S. foreign policy over the next four years. The Coalition's Christopher Layne wonders who is left to challenge the neo-conservatives in their quest to consolidate American empire.
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American Nationalism: Addressing the Challenge of Identity and Threat
November 02, 2004
Coalition members Anatol Lieven and Steven Clemons spoke at a special event moderated by Jessica Matthews, President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
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Lessons from the Iraq War
November 01, 2004
Coalition members Ted Carpenter, Robert Higgs, Charles Pena, and Christopher Preble participated in a day-long conference at the Cato Institute discussing the Iraq War, and the lessons of the war for U.S. foreign policy.
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The Perils of Occupation
October 28, 2004
In this election season, we still need a realistic debate over the most costly and dangerous American foreign policy action in recent history: the military occupation of Iraq. We are a diverse group of scholars, analysts and former government officials from across the political spectrum who believe that the use of military force to direct the internal affairs of other nations is detrimental to American national security.
Download PDF of The Perils of Occupation
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Security Scholars for a Sensible Foreign Policy - An Open Letter to the American People
October 26, 2004
In October 2004, Security Scholars for a Sensible Foreign Policy circulated an open letter concerning the military occupation of Iraq. By the time that they stopped collecting signatures on October 25, 2004, 851 individuals had signed the statement. The statement,...
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Security Scholars for a Sensible Foreign Policy - Signatories
October 25, 2004
In October 2004, Security Scholars for a Sensible Foreign Policy circulated an open letter concerning the military occupation of Iraq. By the time that they stopped collecting signatures on October 25, 2004, 851 individuals had signed the statement. The list...
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Security Scholars for a Sensible Foreign Policy - Signatories (Part 2)
October 24, 2004
In October 2004, Security Scholars for a Sensible Foreign Policy circulated an open letter concerning the military occupation of Iraq. By the time that they stopped collecting signatures on October 25, 2004, 851 individuals had signed the statement. The list...
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Implications of the Iraq War
September 30, 2004
At an event earlier this month sponsored by the Iowa United Nations Association and the Stanley Foundation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Coalition member Stanley Kober explored the war in Iraq, and what it teaches about the Bush administration's approach to foreign policy.
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Neocons Forced to Face Reality
September 15, 2004
Utopian visions for reshaping the the world are losing favor among the American public. Christopher Preble and Justin Logan welcome recent attempts to inject a dose of reality into the making of U.S. foreign policy.
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Gary Hart discusses The Fourth Power
August 04, 2004
Thanks to all who attended the discussion with former senator Gary Hart about his new book The Fourth Power: A Grand Strategy for the United States in the Twenty-First Century.
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"Neo-Wilsonianism" and Neo-Nonsense
July 22, 2004
David Hendrickson takes issue with “neo-Wilsonian” visions of Woodrow Wilson’s legacy. Wilson would have objected to promoting democracy by force, Hendrickson argues, on the grounds that it violates the principle of self-determination....
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Springtime for Realism - Discussion Forum
July 02, 2004
Discussion Forum: In the June 21, 2004 issue of The New Republic, Senior Editor Lawrence F. Kaplan worries that the ascendancy of realism and the decline of neo-conservatism will ultimately make the United States less secure from terrorism. The members of the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy respectfully disagree.
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The Unrealism of American Empire
The collapse of American prestige has caused millions to turn away from America's example. Christopher Preble warns that we will regret our misadventures even more if anger and resentment turn to violence, as they did on 9/11.
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Are We Better-off Without Saddam?
June 23, 2004
Saddam Hussein? A nation-builder? Leon Hadar explains that it's not as far-fetched as it might sound. Hussein is one in a long line of dictators who held their fractious countries together by force.
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Is Kerry Different from Bush on Iraq?
June 15, 2004
There is a bi-partisan flavor to the future of U.S. military operations in Iraq, with both President Bush and Senator Kerry advocating variations of "stay the course." But, as Wayne Merry points out, staying the course might violate one of the most basic principles of military strategy: don't reinforce failure.
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Fuzzy Math on Iraq
June 07, 2004
The numbers of dead and wounded in Iraq are available for all to see and ponder. David Isenberg wonders why the number two official at the Pentagon had such trouble answering a simple question about where the war had been, and where it is heading.
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Empire Has Shattered American Credibility
May 07, 2004
America's empire knows few limits, but, as David Hendrickson explained to attendees of the American Imperium conference in April, displays of U.S. power do not translate into international credibility.
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Bush's Foreign Policy Process Is the Big Problem
April 23, 2004
Recent books by Richard Clarke and Bob Woodward point to a number of flaws in the Bush Administration's policy making process, as Nicholas Berry points out.
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Nation-Building Exposes GOP's House Divided
April 01, 2004
Jacob Heilbrunn of The Los Angeles Times shows how the neoconservatives' dream of exporting democracy clashes with the traditional Republican view of a foreign policy grounded in "realism."
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Iraq's Future: Sovereignty or 'Sovereignty'
Carolyn Eisenberg explains in this article originally published in Newsday that the Iraqi interim constitution signed in April is really designed to make sure the upper hand is stamped 'U.S.'...
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Defense Spending in a Time of War
March 23, 2004
Government spending continues to rise, despite growing concerns about the widening budget deficit. Paul Gessing shows how billions of dollars in defense spending to police a burgeoning American empire have very little to do with fighting terrorism.
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U.S. Global Primacy and National Security: Choices for the Next President
March 10, 2004
In thinking about a proper grand strategy for the United States, Subodh Atal wonders whether the quest for global supremacy contributes to success in the war on terrorism, or, conversely, whether it contributes to the rise and spread of anti-Americanism.
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The Costs of Empire
February 27, 2004
David Isenberg observes that the cost of empire is measured in dollars and cents, and in the disposition of American forces around the globe in a two-part series published by the Asia Times.
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Intelligence Failures Come in Many Shapes and Sizes
The commission appointed to look at U.S. intelligence failures relating to the Iraq war should look at the decisionmaking at the highest level of government, and might contrast President Bush's approach with that of another wartime president, Dwight David Eisenhower.
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Neo-Cons "Out?" Realists "In?"
January 13, 2004
American Pundits have been speculating recently that the neoconservative intellectuals who were the driving force behind the Bush Administrationís Iraq adventure, its alliance with Israelís Likud government and the ambitious U.S.-led Democratic Empire project, are being forced to play defense these days in the bureaucratic-political game in Washington.
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Happier, not Safer
January 06, 2004
All America seemed to celebrate Saddam Hussein's capture, but not former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who declared: "The capture of Saddam Hussein has not made America safer."
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The Difference between Germany, Japan, and Iraq
December 29, 2003
Many people compare reconstruction in post-war Iraq to the post-war reconstruction of Germany and Japan. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is only the most vocal proponent of the idea that we were going to liberate the Iraqis the way we liberated the Axis peoples, especially the Germans, from their own tyranny.
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Time to Leave Iraq
December 11, 2003
During his surprise Thanksgiving visit to Iraq, President Bush bluntly said, again, "we will stay until the job is done." In fact, the U.S. job in Iraq is already done.
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Democracy for Whom?
November 13, 2003
The price of empire just keeps increasing. With the peace in Iraq proving to be as messy as the war, the Bush administration has been desperately trying to get other countries to send troops for occupation duty. Brazil, Egypt, and India have said no; Japan says not yet. South Korea is temporizing-- not many, and certainly not many combat arms. Denmark says no more, while the Dutch and Spanish are rethinking their commitments.
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Welcome to the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy
October 01, 2003
The Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy is a group of scholars, policy makers and concerned citizens united by our opposition to an American empire. The Coalition is dedicated to promoting an alternative vision for American national security strategy that is consistent with American traditions and values.