Dimitri K. Simes

Dimitri K. Simes is the president of The Nixon Center.


Essays

Obama’s foreign-policy decisions—from provoking Islamabad to two-timing Beijing to alienating Moscow—lack the strategic long-term thinking the U.S. needs. Hypocrisy and incoherence rule.

One doesn’t need to be a Russian domestic radical or a foreign Russophobe to see major flaws in the way Russia is ruled. The population, however, is satisfied with the status quo...for now.

Since the end of the cold war, American foreign policy toward Russia has been dismissive of Russian interests. Acknowledging that a country has separate aims does not mean we cannot work toward common goals.

The current conversations of the American political class are frighteningly similar to past black-and-white misinterpretations of fundamental foreign-policy decisions.

John McCain and Barack Obama are busily offering foreign-policy platitudes on the campaign trail, mostly about spreading freedom, working with allies and hunting down terrorists. But what exactly would they do if elected? Digging ourselves out of

Reviews

Notwithstanding the book's shortcomings, Mearsheimer and Walt do perform an important service in pointing out how difficult it is to produce pragmatic decisions based on national interest.

Commentary

After Obama’s nearly three years in office, it’s hard to find a single area where he was able to significantly advance U.S. national interests.

America has much to be proud of in its response to 9/11. Continuing to move forward will require vigilance and restraint.

The National Interest's publisher has changed its name.

Gorbachev’s experience should sound a cautionary note for other authoritarian regimes now under pressure.

Barack Obama is not a foreign policy president. Just look at how he handled Egypt.

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February 12, 2012