As the Middle East Unravels, the US Pulls No Strings
Much of the Middle East is suddenly coming unglued–with it, years of US effort to encourage democratic order in the region will go to waste. It is time for Washington to do something very smart–nearly nothing. Syria and Egypt are…
China’s Bank Crisis Could Pummel the U.S. Economy
Do we still have to worry about the US economy even though the Fed seems to think we’re out of the woods? Think “China,” where growth is slowing, corporate debt is out of control, and the banks are looking wobbly….
Obama Gives Syrian Rebels Sling Shots to Slay the Dragon
Even as the White House asserts that Syrian President Bashar al–Assad has used chemical weapons against rebel insurgents, there are skeptics. The Russians, who support Assad, instantly questioned Washington’s evidence. So, now, do more objective experts who wonder why there…
Turkey Could Be the Middle East’s Powder Keg
Maybe it had to come to this, given that Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s bullheaded, probably corrupt prime minister, heads an Islamist government in a nation far down the road to secularism. Erdoğan has lately limited the sale of alcohol and put…
Post-Austerity Europe Gropes for a Game Plan
In Spain, King Juan Carlos proposes to give up his 136–foot yacht (although there is bickering over who should get it). In France, President Francois Hollande just raised $390,000 by selling 1,200 bottles of wine from the Élysée Palace cellars…
Will the US Buy Obama’s Plan to end the War Machine?
It’s easy enough to say that President Barack Obama has just announced his intention to end the “war on terror.” This thought is welcome, but it is simply not enough.Obama’s speech at the National Defense University last week has implications…
Has Britain Gone to Pieces Over Exiting the EU?
David Cameron, Britain’s Conservative prime minister, has been bullied on the question of European Union membership. Hard-right Tories (and there are a lot of them) and aonce-marginal independence party now contrive to bring Britain to the brink of exiting the…
Obama’s Red Line in Syria Was Drawn in Pencil
Suddenly, the Syria crisis has grown more complicated for the US—and notably for the Obama administration. After many months of staying scrupulously clear of a conflict that has now claimed 80,000 Syrian lives, it looks as though the White House…
As Europe Turns Left, a Call to “Show Me the Money”
We will die of fiscal consolidation alone,” Enrico Letta, Italy’s new prime minister, said in his maiden speech to parliament a few days ago. “Growth policies cannot wait any longer.” The anti-austerity argument in Europe has quickly achieved respectability. Letta…
Europe’s New Path: Austerity with a Human Face
It did not take long for those flying the flag of fiscal austerity in Europe to turn tail. A week ago in this space I asserted that it was the beginning of the end for the “austerians.” I was too…
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