Strategy Without Prediction

U.S. Ignores Lesson Of NFL Draft at Its Own Peril, Newsday, May 3, 2015. "The NFL draft offers a few college football players the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. It offers us fans the opportunity to speculate, to cheer and to condemn. But it offers everyone something more: a lesson in American grand strategy."

Who Do We Want to Win?

Which Side is Obama on in Mideast?, Newsday, April 18, 2015. "Every war poses a basic question: Whom do you want to win? After six years, the Obama administration's answer to that question in the Middle East is hopelessly confused."

The Decline and Fall of British Liberalism

Election Reveals Battle for Britain’s True Liberal Soul, Yorkshire Post, April 17, 2015. "THE debates between the party leaders have made one thing clear. The election isn’t just a struggle between the Tories, Labour, and the rest. It’s a moment that reveals the state of British liberalism. By liberalism, I don’t mean the nanny-statism that today passes for liberalism, with its identity group politics, its ravenous appetite for state spending in the name of appearing to care and its 
love of top-down control."

Against TTIP, Contra Mundum

TTIP Benefits Crony Capitalists, Not Free Enterprise, CapX, April 9, 2015. "The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is often described as a free trade agreement between the U.S. and the European Union. If that were true, it would deserve the support of everyone who believes that economic freedom is vital for growth, and offers our best defense against the power of vested interests. But TTIP is both far more and far less than a free trade agreement. Indeed, it’s testimony to the fact that, between the U.S. and the EU, the free trade agenda, as we have conceived of it since 1945, is dead."

Congressional Leadership on ATT

GOP, Democrats Unite in Opposing UN Arms Trade Treaty, Daily Signal, April 6, 2015. "The fruit of the Arms Trade Treaty is criticism of the democracies. That is no surprise: Its supporters explicitly declare this was the creation of a “progressive” coalition, and the guiding star of progressivism in foreign policy is the belief that the U.S. is wrong. That’s a fundamental reason why the treaty is a bad idea, and it’s why the continued leadership of Congress in opposing the agreement is welcome and valuable."

The Mirage of Engagement

‘Tent’ Membership Has Its Problems, Newsday, April 5, 2015. "The nuclear deal with Iran announced by President Barack Obama on Thursday is a mirage -- an agreement now to agree later. But it stands for something bigger: the belief that it's better to have the bad guys inside the tent than out of it."

On Recognizing Friends and Enemies

Conservatives and Liberals Need to Rethink Their Mideast Priorities, Newsday, March 22, 2015. "In the wake of Benjamin Netanyahu's victory in Israel, American leaders -- both conservatives and liberals -- should rethink their approach to the Middle East. Conservatives need to recognize more clearly who our enemies are; liberals need to learn to recognize our friends."

Meet Mr. Camerband

From Butskell to Camerband, Weekly Standard, March 20, 2015. "Today, the strenuous partisan warfare between Cameron and Miliband belies the emergence of a comparable composite, Mr. Camerband, who embodies a near-convergence that goes well beyond finance. The only exceptions in the current Tory-led coalition are Michael Gove’s reforms in education, which got him demoted, and Iain Duncan Smith’s welfare revolution, which has survived largely thanks to Smith’s passionate commitment and seniority within the party."

ATT and Land Mine Recommendations for NDAA FY 2016

10 Objectives for the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, with Steven P. Bucci, Dean Cheng, Brian Slattery, Michaela Dodge, Luke Coffey, David Inserra, and Charles Stimson, Heritage Foundation Backgrounder #3002, March 16, 2015. "The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a central piece of legislation for Congress each year. The NDAA is one of the last remaining bills that enjoys true bipartisan consensus, in part because Congress understands the critical need to set defense policies and guidelines for national security. The FY 2016 NDAA will continue in this tradition. The NDAA does, however, face a range of problems. A team of Heritage Foundation national security experts have compiled a set of 10 objectives—addressing issues from military morale to missile defense to Taiwan and China—that Congress should support."

Getting Iran Wrong

A Slap Fight With a Purpose, Newsday, March 7, 2015. "The political slap fight over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent address to Congress was an embarrassment. But it was far from pointless. It reflected the fundamental divide between liberals and conservatives on Middle East policy."

The Hour of Europe (Again)

Germany Falters in Ukraine and Greece, Newsday, February 22, "German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently negotiated a cease-fire in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Within days, Ukrainian troops lost the city of Debaltseve to a new Russian-backed rebel offensive. At the same time, European negotiations on the Greek financial crisis broke down in acrimony. This is the hour of Europe, and it's a disaster."

Russian Harrassment Through Interpol

Putin’s Long Arm, Weekly Standard, February 20, 2015, "In Chechnya, Georgia, and Ukraine, Russia works through bribery, fear, and force to destroy its opponents. In the West, it works through Interpol and the U.S. Treasury. If Moscow decides to target you, being in the United States won’t protect you from Russian harassment. In fact, it makes you a better victim."

Senator Warren Is Wrong (Again) About Trade

Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Mechanisms: An Important Feature of High-Quality Trade Agreements, with James Roberts and Riddhi Dasgupta, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4351, February 20, "There are many reasons to doubt that a trade agreement between the U.S. and the EU will deliver the economic gains or advance the broader geopolitical objectives claimed for it. Like any treaty, a trade agreement can be fairly assessed only when a full and final text has been negotiated and presented to the public. Yet the concerns raised in principle about creation of an ISDS mechanism are unfounded. Far from being dangerous or undesirable, an appropriately structured ISDS is an essential part of trade-agreement enforcement and should be included in any U.S. trade agreement with the EU."

The Cardinal Rule of Foreign Policy

In the Middle East, Let’s Support Our Friends, Newsday, February 8, 2015, "King Abdullah II of Jordan is angry. In a meeting with members of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, he quoted Clint Eastwood in promising retribution against the Islamist radicals who burned a Jordanian pilot to death. He wants our support. He should get it."

Obama's Paradoxical Role at the SHOT Show

Why Firearms Makers Are So Worried Even as the Second Amendment Is Stronger Than Ever, National Review Online, January 27, 2015. "In one sense, Obama has been very, very good for the U.S. firearms industry. Far from controlling guns, his outspoken anti-firearms advocacy has made him the industry’s top salesman."

They're Not Fans

What the Firearms Industry Thinks About the UN Arms Trade Treaty Signed by Obama Administration, Daily Signal, January 27, 2015. "Supposedly, the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, which took effect Christmas Eve, is no big deal. But people who work in the business of manufacturing, importing and exporting firearms are concerned about the treaty and what it means for them and their industry."

In Praise of Partisanship

Barack Obama Finally Offers a Clear Choice, Newsday, January 23, 2015. "Let's be grateful to President Barack Obama. In his State of the Union address, he dropped the pretense of bipartisanship and, by siding with the progressives, gave the nation what it needs: a clear choice. That's the true American way."

A Big, Bad Idea

Closing Chapter of a Not So Special Relationship?, Yorkshire Post, January 16, 2015. "The White House announced Prime Minister David Cameron’s two-day visit to Washington in a statement issued last Saturday. It was a tellingly low-key announcement for an Anglo-American relationship that has mostly drifted in the past five years. The alliance, though, does have one big idea up its sleeve. Unfortunately, it’s a bad one."

Replying to Foolish Claims on Treaties

, National Review Online, January 14, 2015. "The U.S. has been, and continues to be, a prolific negotiator, signer, and ratifier of treaties. The fact that 36 of them are pending in the Senate leads Jett to conclude that something is dangerously amiss. It leads me to an entirely different conclusion: There are a few treaties that are genuinely controversial, and many hundreds that are not. Most of these controversial treaties date from the 1990s, when it became fashionable to spin them from fairy dust."

Recommendations for US Policy Towards Europe

Top Five Policy Priorities for Europe in 2015, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4331, with Nile Gardiner and Luke Coffey, January 14, 2015. "It is time for the U.S. to renew its commitment to European security, to make NATO relevant again, and to promote economic freedom across the continent. Here are the top five foreign policy priorities in the European region for the Administration and Congress in 2015."

Renewing the US Commitment to the Anglo-American Relationship

David Cameron’s Visit to Washington: An Important Opportunity to Renew Anglo-American Leadership, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4330, with Nile Gardiner and Luke Coffey, January 13, 2015. "President Barack Obama will host British Prime Minister David Cameron at the White House on January 15–16. This will be Cameron’s last visit to the United States before the U.K.’s general election on May 7, 2015. Five issues should dominate the visit: (1) Russia’s aggression in Eastern Europe; (2) the crisis in Iran and the Levant; (3) the future of the U.K. inside the European Union (EU); (4) the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP); and (5) defending the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands at the upcoming Organization of American States (OAS) Summit."

Against Giving Up Strategic Advantages for Tactical Responses

On North Korea, a One-Shot’s Not Enough, Newsday, January 9, 2015. "The media is under assault in the United States and abroad. The terrorist attacks in France are more shocking, but the cyberwar on Sony is more dangerous: none of us are isolated from the Internet. The Obama administration's response to the Sony hack pointed in the right direction, but it wasn't enough."

On Obama and Blair

Quest for Legacy Leads Obama to Castro’s Door, Yorkshire Post, January 6, 2015. "In time, Obama will get the ridiculous mausoleum of a presidential library. But that’s not enough. He’s in trouble now, and by using the power of the Oval Office to extend the hand of friendship to yet another tyranny – this time in Cuba – he’s just doing what got him elected: blaming his predecessors and believing his own magic will make things right."

Review of Addison on Post-War Britain

Review of No Turning Back: The Peacetime Revolutions of Post-War Britain, by Paul Addison (Oxford University Press, 2010), in Labour History, vol. 53, no. 4 (2012). Not available online.

My Book Recommendation for New Year's Day

34 Books You’ll Want to Read in 2015, Daily Signal, including contribution by Bromund, January 1, 2015. "A blockbuster history of the war from the other side, as vast as it is readable. Without minimizing the atrocities committed by the Central Powers, it emphasizes that there is no easy connection between those crimes and Hitler’s far more vast crimes before and during the Second World War. It does not sympathize with the sufferings of the German and Austro-Hungarian peoples, but it does, by making them clear, empathize with them. And by relating the vast mobilization efforts of Germany, in particular, it reveals just how much was at stake in the war. And in spite of the many errors of the Allies and the frequent tactical brilliance of the Germans, it shows just how badly led the autocratic Central Powers ultimately were and so offers a lesson in the comparative, competitive advantage of democracy in war."