ARTICLES
Saudis in a Snit over Obama’s Mideast Policies
What is happening between Saudi Arabia and the U.S.—the very fastest of friends since American geologists first caught the whiff of petroleum in the early 1930s? And how much should anyone worry about a rift between Washington and Riyadh? The…
Are Things Actually Looking Up in the Middle East?
It is only a faint outline—call it a pencil sketch—but the lines of a significantly remade Middle East are suddenly falling into place. We have to wait for the region’s leaders and the diplomats asserting the influence of interested outsiders…
Here Comes Obama’s Big Moment with Iran
It is still a thrill an hour in Washington. Do we have a government? Do we pay our bills? Two days of talks in Geneva this week will prove just as big. They begin Tuesday, the topic is Iran, and…
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…
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