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War

Nigeria's Battle for Stability

Despite a veneer of democracy, this oil-rich nation has suffered from dysfunctional governance for decades, and tensions between the Christian South and the Muslim North are rising. Nigeria needs creative American diplomacy.

Rethinking the Pakistan Plan

U.S.-Pakistani relations are in crisis. Strategic fear of India prevents Pakistan from bending to U.S. demands. Easing India-Pakistan tensions could change the dynamics of the U.S.-Pakistan alliance.

Triumph of the New Wilsonism

No national interest was cited as a rationale for America's Libya campaign; the action was justified solely on humanitarian grounds. This marks a fundamental break with past U.S. policy prescriptions for such military interventions.

Chinese Nationalism and Its Discontents

China must choose between kowtowing to domestic nationalism and submitting to a peaceful rise. Lately, nationalist belligerence has ruled the day. Washington is overreacting, encircling China. A latent rivalry ratchets up to dangerous levels.

The End of the American Era

Two lost wars. Eroding infrastructure. A crippled economy. The time when the United States could create and lead a political, economic and security order in virtually every part of the world is over. The cure? A new American strategy.

Brezhnev in the Hejaz

Saudi Arabia is the guardian of the Mideast counterrevolution—and America is its greatest enabler. A club of royals under the Kingdom’s protection is now a reality.

Commentary

Set South Korea Free

Washington has kept the ROK dependent for too long. Let Seoul increase its military efforts.

The Dilemma of American Terrorists

U.S. citizens who raise arms against us commit an extra offense compared to other terrorists. They should be treated accordingly.

Insurmountable Obstacles in Afghanistan

Despite tremendous gains, a fragile Afghanistan remains woefully unprepared for Western withdrawal.

Blogs

Peaceful Protest and Palestinian Rights

Gains from the Palestinian hunger strike were meager, but they may be enough to sustain a new form of dissent.

Why Americans Are Less Hawkish than Their Leaders

The origins and consequences of the public-elite opinion gap on foreign policy.

Sergeant Bergdahl, War and Terrorism

The United States doesn't negotiate with terrorists. But the Taliban is not a terrorist organization. 

Books & Reviews

Death by Irrelevance

Rockefeller, Lindsay, Scranton—just three of the “moderates” who failed to keep the GOP from the clutches of Goldwater and Nixon. Geoffrey Kabaservice laments their defeat with a wistfulness that obscures from him their true frustration.

In the Hall of the Vulcans

We thought the lessons of Vietnam could never be unlearned. But Washington warmongering heeds no warnings, plunging America into the quagmires of Iraq and Afghanistan. The depths of dysfunction behind these decisions seemingly know no bounds.

Gods in Flight

Think airpower is the military strategy cure-all? Martin van Creveld begs to differ. His latest offering argues that aerial armaments have failed to confer a decisive advantage, tricking aggressors into believing that victory will be easy.

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May 26, 2012