The Problem Isn't Us, It's Them

Review of Phil Haun, Coercion, Survival, and War: Why Weak States Resist the United States (Stanford University Press, 2015), Cercles, February 25, 2016. "The United States is the greatest power in the world. Why, therefore, doesn’t it simply threaten its enemies until they give it what it wants? After all, provided that what the U.S. demands is less costly for its adversary than fighting, and likely losing, a war, the U.S.’s adversaries should always, if they are rational, submit rather than fight. But yet, on occasion, U.S. demands are indeed resisted, sometimes successfully. That failure of coercion is the paradox that Phil Haun, adjunct Professor of Aerospace Studies at Yale University, and a former A-10 pilot for the U.S. Air Force, sets out to explain."

The Better Strategy We Didn't Follow

On U.S. Energy Policy, Obama Should Trust the Market, Newsday, February 13, 2016. "On Wednesday, according to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas in the United States was just under $1.72. Low energy prices are good for American consumers, for the U.S. economy, and for the United States in the world. Too bad President Barack Obama wants to raise them."

ITAR Reform on Firearms, part 2

Obama Administration Commits to Initial Reform of Rules on Gun Exports in 2016, Daily Signal, February 11, 2016. "Last month, I reported that the Obama administration was resisting a bipartisan push to make it easier for U.S. firearms manufacturers to export. But now, that pressure has produced results. First, a bit of background. The administration is reforming the U.S. Munitions List (USML), which sets out what defense items are subject to the stringent export control rules of the Arms Export Control Act. The principle behind the reform is sensible: Build higher walls around fewer items, and stop burdening American business if American security isn’t at risk. So far, the administration has fully revised 15 of the 21 U.S. Munitions List categories. But it’s made no public progress on categories one through three, which cover firearms, artillery, and ammunition."

A Fair and Balanced Consideration of Barack Obama's Innumberable Miserable Failures

One Area Barack Obama Hasn’t Screwed Up, Newsday, January 31, 2016. "Conventional wisdom says that if you want to be an influential president, you should be a success. But in some ways, the influence of failures is greater. Because of that, one of the areas ripe for debate in the 2016 presidential race is trade. And for that, we have President Barack Obama to thank."

On the Difference Between Donald Trump and a Communist

The Very Unlikely Political Parallels Between Donald Trump and Jeremy Corbyn, Yorkshire Post, January 29, 2016. "Donald Trump’s surprising buoyancy in the Republican primary contest strikes many Britons as inexplicable. But then I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around Jeremy Corbyn. Yet, as political phenomena, the two actually aren’t so far apart." (Published under my own name.)

Apparently, Nuclear War Is Better Than Land Mines

Daily Signal, January 29, 2016. "Whenever I write on any of the treaties beloved of the left—whether it’s the treaty on land mines, on cluster munitions, or on conventional arms—I’m sure that, somewhere, I’m outraging a progressive. This time, Michael Moore, a campaigner at Landmines in Africa—and presumably no more than an ideological relative of the film propagandist of that name—takes exception to a piece on land mines I wrote before Christmas."

More Gun Control, More Guns

At the SHOT Show, Business Booms, National Review Online, January 26, 2016. "The annual SHOT Show — Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade, i.e., the world’s largest gun show — wrapped up on Friday in Las Vegas. You might think that, with the White House talking gun control again, the mood in the industry aisles would be dour. If so, you’d be wrong. No one in any industry likes being abused by the president. But in the short run, Obama’s latest announcements will have little to no practical effect. And since everything this administration does now is short-run, the industry has less reason than ever to be concerned about the long haul."

For Corbyn, Like Curly, Something's Turned Up

Do the Corbyn Shuffle, Weekly Standard, January 21, 2016. "The only thing less impressive than the backing for Jeremy Corbyn inside Britain's Labour Party is its opposition to him. When Corbyn won his shock bid for the leadership of the party in September, it seemed unlikely that a man who started with the support of fewer than 20 Labour MPs would hold the job for long. But now, the chances he'll be ousted soon are dropping. Meeting with Corbyn's opponents inside the party is a dispiriting experience. Blairites all, they give the impression of being short on policy ideas as well as constructive plans for opposition, and of being on a slow journey past anger and denial toward something that looks uncomfortably like acquiescence, though certainly not acceptance. So much has changed that it's hard to believe that Blair was Prime Minister less than a decade ago."

They're Not Our Friends

The Top Ten U.S. Myths About the European Union, CapX, January 21, 2016. "If the US is to be an effective ally of the democratic nations of Europe, it must see the European Union (EU) as it really is. In the years after the Second World War, the US was right to encourage Western Europe to trade more freely and to cooperate for their own security, both to defend against the Soviet threat and to stabilize the region’s fragile post-war democracies. This policy lost its relevance after the end of the Cold War and the rapid democratization of much of Eastern Europe. At that point, the US had achieved what it wanted to achieve with its support for a united and free Europe."

Shockingly, ATT Activists Blame the Democracies (Again)

Why Arms Trade Treaty Activists Are Wrong to Blame Democracies, Daily Signal, January 20, 2016. "The activists behind the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) have never been shy about blaming the U.S. and other democracies far more than they blame dictatorships for the evils of the world. Their latest campaign shows they’re at it again."

Spend It, and They Won't Come

Blame Washington for Skyrocketing College Costs, Newsday, January 16, 2016. "In a matter of days, college applications will be due. No family can look at those applications without thinking of the opportunity college represents. But they also can’t look without thinking of the bills. A new research paper helps explain why those costs are so high."

What We Should Be Doing on the ATT, 2016 edition

Top Ten Areas for Congressional Action on the Arms Trade Treaty in 2016, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief, #4058, January 14, 2016. "The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which Congress has rightly opposed, entered into force on December 24, 2014. The U.S. signed the ATT on September 25, 2013, but the Administration has yet to transmit the treaty to the Senate. The first Conference of States Parties (CSP) to the ATT was held in Cancun, Mexico, on August 24–27, 2015. The CSP set out the rules of procedure for future CSPs, created a treaty Secretariat, and established a funding mechanism for both the Secretariat and future CSPs. Congress has repeatedly placed the Administration on notice that it regards the ATT as fundamentally flawed, and regularly banned the appropriation of funds to implement the ATT prior to its ratification. Congress should resolutely continue to oppose ratification of the ATT and should act to ensure that any decisions taken in Cancun do not result in the U.S. financing treaty activities."

Russia's Not Pursuing Security

Russia’s Insecurity Strategy, Washington Times, January 12, 2016. "Russia’s new National Security Strategy, signed by Vladimir Putin as last year came to a close, isn’t shy about naming its enemies. From the U.S. to the European Union, from NATO to the varying-colored revolutions, Russia sees foes everywhere. That’s understandable: the treacherous are always distrustful. But the strategy’s biggest surprise is that it shows Russia has met its actual enemy: Mr. Putin himself."

Another Obama Straw Man

A False Foreign Policy Alternative, part of "What Obama Got Wrong in the State of the Union," Daily Signal, January 12, 2016. "President Obama offered his usual false alternative between occupying and rebuilding “every country that falls into crisis” (an option that literally no one is proposing), or agreeing with his foreign policy. Putting it that way is a cheat, not a choice. But let’s take the president at his word, which is that he wants the U.S. to “help remake” the international system that the U.S. built after 1945. Even he doesn’t seem sure about this, because a few lines later, he suggests instead that we should be seeking to strengthen that order, not remake it. And a president more grounded in history might wonder if it’s wise to want to remake the order: from 1815 to 1918 to 1945 to 1991, the system has been at its most flexible after the world has been exhausted by a major war, which isn’t what any of us want. Nor did the president suggest a single measure that would genuinely re-make the world order: from fighting terrorism to complaining about ungoverned spaces to lecturing Russia to talking about trade deals, his proposals (or rather, his applause lines) were all old hat. But yet, if his goal really is to remake the order, he’s actually doing a good job of it. That order was grounded on U.S. pre-eminence – but from Ukraine, to Syria, to Iran, it’s American weakness, not its strength or its leadership, that’s on display. A world order without American leadership would indeed be a new one. But it’s not one that most Americans, or most people around the world, would like."

Advance, Project Fear!

Why Project Fear is David Cameron’s Ultimate Weapon in EU Struggle, Yorkshire Post, January 9, 2016. "DAVID CAMERON launched his renegotiation of Britain’s EU membership with the hope that “we can deliver a more flexible, adaptable and open European Union”. As that optimism has faded, the resort to fear has grown. And so far, the US has lent a willing hand. It’s startling to go back now to Cameron’s Bloomberg speech. It appeared to make the case for fundamental reform of the EU. But from the beginning, there was never any good reason to believe the EU was interested in fundamental reform.

ITAR Reform on Firearms, part 1

Bipartisan Support Grows for Reform of Rules on Gun Exports, Daily Signal, January 8, 2016. "While President Barack Obama tries to limit gun sales in the United States, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging his administration to make it easier for U.S. firearms manufacturers to export. When it comes to guns, the administration has tried to have it both ways. At home, it promotes gun control and abroad, it signs the Arms Trade Treaty, which seeks to set rules on arms exports. But under Obama’s watch, gun sales in the U.S. have boomed like never before, and the administration has promoted U.S. arms exports enthusiastically."

What We Should Be Doing in Europe, 2016 edition

Top Five Priorities for U.S. Policy Toward Europe in 2016, with Dan Kochis, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4506, January 8, 2016. "U.S. policy toward Europe in 2015 failed to rise to the significant challenges that confront it. The U.S. is no closer to having a clear and comprehensive strategy to deal with Russia than it was a year ago; it continues to devalue key bilateral and multilateral relationships in Europe for the sake of supporting the European Union (EU); and it took no effective steps to support improved governance in increasingly autocratic Turkey or in the aspiring democracy of Georgia. The devastating Islamist attacks in Paris in December 2015 prove that terrorism is an increasingly serious threat in the heart of Europe, and, from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine to the refugee crisis stemming from Syria, the EU displayed its customary obsession with inward-looking bureaucratic processes and supranationalism. The U.S. should defend European security, sovereignty, and prosperity, not support supranational institutions that undermine all these values. Here are the top five policy priorities in the European region for the Administration and Congress in 2016."

The World's Most Boring Title, Not Selected by Me

Three Things to Watch For in 2016, Newsday, January 3, 2016. "The trick in life isn’t to know the answers: it’s to ask the right questions. At the end of 2014, I asked three questions about 2015 that I believed would shape the year. Columnists are too rarely held responsible for their work, so, in the name of accountability, here were my questions for 2015, with new ones for 2016." The new questions are on the world economy, Russia, and Iran.

Contra Contra Land Mines

Why Liberals Are Wrong About Land Mines, Daily Signal, December 23, 2015. "One of the progressive left’s favorite causes is campaigning against land mines. The Obama administration naturally has promised to stop producing or buying anti-personnel land mines (APL). In addition, the administration has said it will to stop using mines outside the Korean Peninsula, and – eventually – accede to the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel mines entirely. Although this might sound great to some, land mines actually cause few civilian casualties, and are an important weapon for the U.S. military."

The Best Kind of Charity

Lessons in Charity for Mark Zuckerberg, Newsday, December 14, 2015. "The best kind of charity doesn’t promise expensive solutions. It provides opportunities that allow us to learn for ourselves — guided by parents who set standards, and in a nation that respects business and charity alike."

Russia and U.S. Grand Strategy

U.S. Comprehensive Strategy Toward Russia, with James Jay Carafano and others, Heritage Foundation Special Report #173, December 9, 2015. "Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has not had a coherent, comprehensive strategy toward Russia. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine demonstrates, the U.S. has paid a price for this failure and, of course, many of Russia’s neighbors have paid far higher prices. At the core of the U.S. failure has been an unwillingness to assess the nature of the Russian regime realistically and to base its policy on that assessment. Too often, the U.S. has relied on wishful thinking."

The Myths of U.S. Strategy in Europe

Available in PDF only. U.S. Strategy in Europe: Advice to Policymakers, American Foreign Policy Council Defense Dossier, November 15, 2015."The fundamental problem confronting American strategy in Europe is that the United States has forgotten that it needs to have its own strategy in Europe. Since the end of the Cold War, and with the important exception of the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, the U.S. has regarded Europe as an area where power politics no longer operate, and thus as an area that is reliably stable, peaceful, and prosperous. As a result, it has ignored the broader implications of Europe’s worsening security environment, and outsourced the effort to care for the future of the European continent to the European Union. Both of these approaches are wrong."

The Do-Nothing President

Whose Values Is Barack Obama Promoting in Syria?, Newsday, November 27, 2015. "The most serious problem with the Syrian refugees isn't that they'll bring terrorists with them. It's the war in Syria that made them refugees in the first place. President Barack Obama claims we have to admit refugees if we are to live up to our values. But he's the one who's sat on his hands as Syria burned."

Against the "Revolutionary" Climate Deal

Climate Pact a Bad Deal for the U.S., Newsday, November 22, 2015. "The nations of the world will gather in Paris later this month to negotiate a major climate change agreement. Most of the world's leaders will arrive in carbon-spewing private jets. It would be even more appropriate if they drove Volkswagens."

Against An International Investment Court

The U.S. Should Reject the European Commission’s Proposed Investment Court, with James Roberts and Riddhi Dasgupta, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4485, November 13, 2015. "The proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the United States and the European Union, if negotiated successfully, will certainly contain a mechanism for resolving disputes related to the treaty. The current model for Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) panels is widely used, but also wrongly controversial, particularly in Europe. The European Commission (EC), the executive body of the European Union (EU), has proposed that the TTIP create a new Investment Court System (ICS) to resolve such disputes.[1] The U.S. should firmly resist this proposal, which departs radically from the well-functioning ISDS system."