The Man Behind the State Department’s New “Natural Law” Focus
Robert George, longtime religious zealot and onetime Never Trumper, has reached the halls of Foggy Bottom.
Foreign Policy
The Sneaky Politics of “Natural Law”
The State Department wants to present its new human rights project as empirical and historical. But "natural law" is as political as anything else.
The Biggest Barrier to a Leftist Foreign Policy: Democrats
When it comes to Iran, Israel, and Latin America, Democratic leaders are closer in mindset to the Trump administration than you might think.
Tariffs Are a Bad Response to an Imaginary Border Crisis
The migrants that do arrive in the U.S. are fleeing situations exacerbated by decades of bad American foreign policy. Tariffs on Mexico would continue that pattern.
Trump’s Military Threats Aren’t Going to Keep “America First”
High defense costs are one of the surest ways to hasten a great power's decline.
The Making of the Military-Intellectual Complex
Why is U.S. foreign policy dominated by an unelected, often reckless cohort of “the best and the brightest”?
War With Iran Would Benefit the Emirates, Not the U.S.
With legislators and public alike focused on Saudi influence, another Gulf country's lobbying efforts are flying under the radar.
The Audacity of Grief
On the mournful threads connecting Joe Biden’s half-century in politics
The Unintended Consequences of Trump’s Trade War
Forcing Beijing into economic reform could help it overtake the U.S. in the long run.
The Venezuela Coup’s Risky Dependence on Foreign Opinion
Both opposition leader Juan Guiadó and sitting president Nicolás Maduro are acting for an international audience.
The Foolhardy Quest to Define a “Trump Doctrine”
A pro-Trump intellectual's attempt to ascribe a method to the president's madness shows just how hopeless that is.
Add Trump’s Yemen Veto to Obama’s Spotty War Legacy
The president's decision to maintain U.S. support for a disastrous conflict relied on legal arguments crafted by the last administration.
The Growing Obsession With Linking Iran to Terrorism
Iran has not posed a serious terror threat to the United States since the 1980s. Sunni terrorism, on the other hand, has.
Is Mexico on the Brink of a Labor Revolution?
The Trump administration's new NAFTA revisions and a labor-friendly Mexican president could turn unexpected strikes on the border into a movement that transforms both countries.
The Enduring Power of Neoconservatism
Despite some overuse, the label still means something, and neoconservative impulses remain extremely influential in American foreign policy.
How China Is Outmaneuvering Trump on Trade
President Xi Jinping's visit to Europe has been a triumphant tour, resulting in major bilateral deals.
A Foreign Policy Without War or Corporate Power
To make progress in America, the left needs a coherent international agenda.
The Christianization of U.S. Foreign Policy
Behind President Trump's Twitter theatrics, there's a growing theme to American diplomacy.
Trump’s Golan Heights Tweet Is a Gift to the Far Right
The tweet will help Israel's prime minister—currently facing indictments—to reelection and in all probability lead to violence in the West Bank.
The Amnesia of the U.S. Foreign Policy Establishment
President Trump is not the first president to weaken the international liberal order.
