Selfishness and Self-Righteousness

Not All U.S. Allies Are Created Equal, Newsday, April 29, 2018. "Everyone, including President Donald Trump, likes French President Emmanuel Macron. He’s the first foreign leader Trump hosted for a state visit. And at least France’s policies — unlike Germany’s, whose chancellor, Angela Merkel, arrived on Friday for her visit — are gloriously selfish."

Bombs Away . . . .

Damn, Busted, Weekly Standard, April 27, 2018. "As a nation, Brexit Britain is stepping out of the shadow of the EU. But as a military power, it’s stepped into the shade."

The Inoculation Effect

Why Syria Felt Emboldened to Use Deadly Gas, Newsday, April 15, 2018. "Despite their fearsome reputation, most weapons of mass destruction — even the conventional ones — are not used often. Like a vaccine, their first use seems to inoculate the world against further uses. But in Syria — struck by Western missiles early Saturday — the inoculation effect against poison gas has been failing. And so is the U.S. policy that contributed to it."

What We All Got Wrong

So Many U.S. Delusions in Foreign Affairs, Newsday, April 1, 2018. "It’s a common lament that politics don’t stop at the water’s edge. Foreign policy, the argument goes, should be run on the basis of national interest, not party politics. But in reality, U.S. administrations of all colors have a lot of beliefs in common. Unfortunately, all too often, they believe in illusions."