Islamic State Beheads a Second American Journalist, Warns of More Executions
The Islamic State terrorist group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, claims to have beheaded a second American journalist, Steven Joel Sotloff. A video of… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Sharif Government’s Survival Crucial for Democracy in Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan received a boost today when a joint sitting of parliament endorsed his leadership following two weeks of street demonstrations… Read More
InternationalCommentary
China, With an Eye to the U.S., Is Aggressively Building Up Their Military
China recently conducted its third land-based missile-intercept test. These tests, most likely designed to facilitate “hit to kill” technologies critical for China’s missile defense and anti-satellite programs, are… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Does Obama Get This? The Oval Office Isn’t Just a Day Job.
Not a day off since Christmas. The president deserved a real vacation — to sit on the newly screened back porch, daydream for an afternoon,… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Japan: Abe Needs to Take Diplomatic Hippocratic Oath
Upon graduating from medical school, physicians typically take the Hippocratic Oath. Though the oath doesn’t actually contain the phrase “first do no harm” that is… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Group That Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls Makes Alliance of Convenience With ISIS
Boko Haram, the terrorist group operating in north-eastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon that drew headlines this spring after kidnapping over 250 female students, aligned itself… Read More
InternationalCommentary
America’s Allies in Thailand Require Insistent Patience
General Prayuth Chan-Ocha, leader of the May 2014 coup in Thailand, has capped off his rise to power by essentially appointing himself prime minister. His… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Okinawa: Long Overdue Progress on U.S. Marine Base
After years of delays, Japan finally made welcome (if minimal) progress on constructing a planned U.S. Marine Corps airfield on Okinawa. Workers installed buoys and… Read More
EnergyInternationalCommentary
‘Green Devil’ Attack on Tony Abbott Ignores Environmental Reality in Australia
In a column for Foreign Policy, environmental advocate Will Potter attacked Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott as “the Green Devil,” further labeling him as “the… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Tunisia: A “Start-Up Democracy”
The Arab Spring started in Tunisia, and while many argue representative democracy is simply not possible in a region plagued by strongman politics, manipulated economic… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Historical Tensions in Northeast Asia: An Obstacle to Improved Security and Policymaking in the Asia Pacific
Tensions in Northeast Asia are at an all-time high, particularly between South Korea and Japan. North Korean belligerence and Chinese aggression contribute to rising tensions… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Japan in a Virtuous Cycle to Nowhere
Preliminary data from Japan show a 6.8 percent drop in quarterly gross domestic product. Although a drop in consumption was expected after Tokyo raised the… Read More
InternationalCommentary
The Way Forward in Iraq
In the last few days, the administration has made tentative steps to address the crisis in Iraq. After threatening not to release his hold on… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Calling Other Countries: U.S. Needs Allies in Fight Against Islamic State
Make no mistake, Islamic State’s methodical march of savagery across the Middle East threatens more than the religious and ethnic minorities caught in its path…. Read More
InternationalCommentary
U.S. MIA on North Korea
Five months have passed since the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in North Korea released its report, and still the U.S…. Read More
InternationalCommentary
Too Much Too Soon May Be Too Little Too Late For Burma
In recent months, the Obama Administration has come under increasing criticism for its overly optimistic Burma policy. The Administration has long claimed Burma as its… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Justice Delayed, Justice Denied in Cambodia
Is justice delayed justice denied? For many in Cambodia, it is. Nearly 40 years after Khmer Rouge brutality commenced, two notorious Khmer Rouge leaders, Nuon… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Here’s What Fear, Hunger and Faith Look Like
Exhausted mothers. Fathers fearing for their families. Children dying of thirst and hunger. Brand new babies delivered with no medical assistance. Dehydrated elderly. These are just… Read More
EconomyInternationalCommentary
Russia Bans U.S. Agricultural Imports: What Effect Will It Have?
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to impose a one-year ban on many agricultural imports from the United States and other countries that have… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Obama’s Iraq Problem Just Got a Lot Worse
According to news reports, Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki has ordered Iraqi military forces to seize government buildings.The move comes in the wake of an… Read More
McCain, Graham Call on Obama to Take More Aggressive Action in Iraq
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., sounded off against President Obama’s decision to launch multiple air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS)… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Obama’s Africa Summit: A Few Positive Notes, More Questions
The first U.S.–Africa Leaders Summit concluded this week. President Obama has, quite expectedly, characterized it as “an extraordinary event, an extraordinary summit.” The three-day summit… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Q&A: How Should the U.S. Respond to New Violence in Iraq?
Military expert Steven Bucci, director of the Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation, takes your questions on the current situation in… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Chile: Bachelet Fails First Test of New Term by Raising Taxes
Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile, is reforming the country’s education system and paying for it by raising corporate taxes. Bachelet aims to increase the corporate… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Carafano: Obama Has ‘Real Opportunities’ in Middle East
“[Obama] has some real opportunities here. Hamas has just been crushed. Egypt’s been a power broker here. He has a unique opportunity in this situation… Read More
InternationalCommentary
What This Media Outlet Got Wrong About Efforts to Promote Freedom in Cuba
Earlier this week, the Associated Press ran an investigative piece on the U.S. Agency for International Development and its democracy promotion efforts in Fidel Castro’s Cuba…. Read More
InternationalSecurityCommentary
Afghanistan Withdrawal Plan Unchanged Following Killing of U.S. General
Yesterday’s killing of U.S. Army Major General Harold Greene in Afghanistan will not change the administration’s plans to leave a residual force in the country… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Ghana Woes a Warning to Other Oil-Rich African Countries
African leaders are in Washington this week for the White House–sponsored U.S.–African Leaders Summit, a meeting of nearly 50 African heads of state meant to… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Afghan Withdrawal Plan Unchanged Following Killing of U.S. General
Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John F. Kirby said that the killing of U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Harold Greene in an insider attack at a training… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Argentina Defaults Again
On July 31, Argentina defaulted on its sovereign debt. This was the second time in 13 years that Argentina has defaulted and the eighth time… Read More
