Which Way Does the Wind Blow Today?

Barack Obama’s A Finger-In-The-Wind Policy on Syria, Newsday, August 31, 2013. "As Karl Marx observed, when history repeats itself, it’s tragedy the first time and farce the second. If the Iraq War was the tragedy, then Syria is certainly the farce. The White House is still agonizing about whether it will launch missile strikes on Syria. As its nightmare of consideration continues, it should remember something: If you want to use military force, you are practically and morally obligated to think about what you are trying to achieve with it."

As U.S. Prepares to Sign ATT, Events Elsewhere Move On

The Impending U.S. Signature of the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, Heritage Foundation Foundry, August 28, 2013. "The ATT was negotiated in English, and initial translations of it into the U.N.’s other official languages were flawed. Revised translations have since been circulated, and unless objections to the new language have been received, the final translation – into Russian – was formally completed yesterday, August 28. Thus, by the standard Secretary Kerry has set, the U.S. may now be free to sign the ATT."

The Top Ten, But Not the Only, Reasons Not to Sign the ATT

Top 10 Reasons Why the U.S. Should Not Sign the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4028, August 27, 2013. "Once the U.S. signs the treaty, and even without the advice and consent of the Senate, the U.S. will consider itself obliged not to violate the treaty’s object and purpose. The top 10 reasons why the U.S. should avoid putting itself in this dangerous position by not signing the ATT are . . . ."

The U.S., Sadder But Wiser, Maybe

Optimistic America Deludes Itself About Democracy, Newsday, August 16, 2013. "American enthusiasm for foreign upheaval is as old as Thomas Jefferson's naive admiration of the French Revolution. But that led to the Reign of Terror, and then the Napoleonic Wars. We will be lucky if the Middle Eastern war spawned by the Arab Spring does not spread beyond Syria."

First the Falklands, Now Gibraltar

U.S. Should Condemn Spain’s Bullying Tactics Over Gibraltar, with Nile Gardiner and Luke Coffey, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4007, August 6, 2013. "Spain’s recent antagonistic behavior toward Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory on the Iberian Peninsula, for recently constructing an artificial reef inside the limits of its territorial waters is unbecoming of a NATO ally in 21st-century Europe."

Three, Two, One . . .

Saudi Arabian Missile Base Is A Sign of Waning U.S. Influence, Newsday, August 2, 2013. "The U.S. retreat from Iraq and its handoff policy on Syria and Iran are creating a security vacuum that regional powers are already filling. Last month IHS Jane's, Britain's famed defense and intelligence firm, announced that it had spotted a missile base in the heart of Saudi Arabia. Designed to launch Chinese-made DF-3 missiles, the base targets both Iran and Israel."