;

international relations



  • Iraq Discredited Liberal Interventionists. Why are they Still in Charge?

    by Daniel Bessner

    "War for oil" explains only part of the push to invade Iraq in 2003; the ideological belief that American militarism serves a noble and righteous cause appealed to many liberals. That general belief has been frustratingly immune to 20 years of exposure of facts about the falsehoods that sold the war. 


  • Whose "Red Lines"?

    by Lawrence Wittner

    Far from promoting clarity and stability, when powerful nations declare "red lines" in their dealings with the world they declare their intentions to impose their will on others. Peace-promoting red lines must be drawn by more robust international cooperation. 



  • America Remains Trapped by the Dream of Global Hegemony

    by Andrew Bacevich

    American victory in World War II remains a source of dangerous myths and delusions about global supremacy. Both popular culture and foreign policy need to adopt the Iraq War as a less affirming, but more realistic, touchstone. 



  • Review: Can Robert Kagan Reboot Interventionism?

    by Samuel Moyn

    "All along, not much ever separated neocons such as Kagan from a nationalist such as Trump, except the pretense that what is good for the United States, including all its war-making, is good for the world." But does the public buy it? 



  • The Ghosts of Kennan and Lessons of the Cold War

    by Frederik Logevall

    George Kennan was instrumental in defining the doctrine of containment, but later objected to the bellicosity undertaken in its name. Key parts of his intellectual journey have remained obscure; a new book tries to examine them and draw lessons for foreign policy today. 


  • Can the World Stop Imperialist War?

    by Lawrence Wittner

    It's past time to finish the halting progress made a century ago to rally international cooperation against imperial aggression. The stakes are too high to leave peace in the hands of individual nations. 



  • The US-China Relationship: Why It Collapsed, How it Can Be Fixed

    by Jake Werner

    The split between the US and China precedes the leadership of Biden, Trump, and Xi, as politicians in both countries have increasingly come to see the others' prosperity as a threat. Solving the split requires looking to the problems of global market capitalism that exacerbated the rift. 



  • Don't Forget about the Nuclear Danger over Taiwan

    by Michael Klare

    Ukraine isn't the only potential nuclear flashpoint. The United States and China need to begin negotiations to limit the risk around the conflict over Taiwan's status. 


  • There Are Alternatives to War

    by Lawrence Wittner

    The Ukraine war points to the urgent need to reform the United Nations so it can serve as a true global organization with the power to ensure peace. 



  • Biden's Taiwan Rhetoric Risks Antagonizing China For No Gain

    by Stephen Wertheim

    The United States' "One China" policy is ambivalent, awkward and dissatisfying. But it's served to prevent a destructive war for decades. Biden's recent comments threaten to destabilize the arrangement.