ARTICLES
Rethinking American exceptionalism
It’s time to revisit one of our founding myths This article originally appeared on The Globalist. Myths enclose those who believe in them. They are not subject to debate or rational consideration. One cannot hold them up to the light…
Washington’s Mess Damages U.S. Global Standing
Nobody will ever put up a neon sign or a billboard announcing that the U.S. has taken another step toward decline in its global position. Neither is American decline inevitable, as the so-called “declinists” habitually assert. It is not. Decline…
BIBI
This column was filed October 2nd, 2013, shortly after Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the U.N. General Assembly on the subject of Iran. For one reason or another, it was never run.—P.L. We have heard the Israeli leader speak. We…
America’s decline could save it from destruction
Bearing less responsibility will have benefits for the country, even if that means wielding less power This article originally appeared on The Globalist. There are two key questions. The first: Do Americans want a future that is different from the…
Stand up and fight, Mr. President!
The moment requires courage, conviction — and presidential leadership. How will President Obama respond? Remarkable doings at the U.N. this week. Remember these days. They are going to change the way we understand the dynamic in the Middle East —…
How Iran and Israel Put Obama in the Hot Seat
We begin a big, consequential week in world politics. This year’s UN General Assembly will put President Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, in the same room, addressing the same heads of state, walking the…
Was America ever exceptional?
This country suffers because we can’t distinguish between strength and power This article originally appeared at The Globalist. America was exceptional once – but not for the reasons we Americans commonly think of. America was exceptional from independence until 1890…
Why Syria Is Obama’s Foreign Policy Proving Ground
It is getting hard to count all the surprises arising from the Syrian crisis. And there are more coming. Outcomes unthinkable even a week ago can now be responsibly imagined—and pursued. Atop this columnist’s wish list: (1) Relations between Washington…
Let’s hope for an American defeat over Syria
It’s time to walk away from the deadly, irrational myth of American might The Syria crisis deepens not by the day but by the hour, and it delivers us to the threshold of a reality that will cause some to…
Obama’s Dithering, Dickering, Dire Foreign Policy
Last week was a stinging passage for President Obama as he tried and mostly failed to find support, at home and abroad, for his plan to bomb Syrian military facilities. Things will not improve for the beleaguered administration in days to…
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