Foreign Policy & War

Uncle Sam, War Criminal

by Ted Galen Carpenter July 18, 2023

U.S. officials invariably stress their commitment to human rights and are extremely quick to condemn other countries for alleged violations. However, Washington’s conduct too often makes a mockery of that supposed commitment. The latest examples of such hypocrisy are two aspects of U.S. policy regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, both involving the provision of highly controversial weapons to ...

The Dangerous Pursuit of Empire: Russia, China, and the United States

by Richard M. Ebeling July 1, 2023

Giving up the reality, the nostalgia, or the dream of empire is very difficult for those in political power, and even for those citizens who have bought into their government’s indoctrination and propaganda. Historically, empire-builders and political leaders often seem to hold certain attitudes and ideas in common. First, they believe that they and their group or nation are on ...

Washington’s Continuing Shame in Syria

by Ted Galen Carpenter June 19, 2023

Recent news reports indicate that the Biden administration is orchestrating an agreement between two insurgent groups in northeastern Syria to continue preventing the national government of Bashar al-Assad from regaining control of that region. If true, Washington’s conduct in Syria has reached a new low in terms of basic decency. Normally, there would be much to admire ...

The Korean War Was a Senseless Waste of American Lives

by Laurence M. Vance June 6, 2023

The remains of an American soldier were laid to rest on Memorial Day at the Andersonville National Cemetery in Georgia after a police car with lights flashing escorted the casket to the cemetery. What made this funeral service so unique and so tragic is that Pfc. Luther Herschel Story was killed on September 1, 1950, during ...

The Iraq War Was a Systematic Atrocity

by James Bovard June 1, 2023

Media coverage of the twentieth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War mostly portrayed the war as a blunder. There were systematic war crimes that have largely vanished into the memory hole, but permitting government officials to vaporize their victims paves the way to new atrocities. On the eve of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, former First Lady Barbara ...

No, It Is Not Possible to be an Imperial Libertarian

by Ted Galen Carpenter May 31, 2023

There have been a distressing number of occasions in which someone has said to me that they embrace libertarian principles and positions—“except for foreign policy.”  That stance has usually translated into loyal support for the U.S. government’s militarized approach to world affairs during the Cold War and throughout the period since the collapse of the Soviet Union.  ...

Ukraine and the Cold War

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 13, 2023

On October 25, 1970, a team of well-armed Chilean thugs attacked an automobile in which Chilean General Rene Schneider was traveling in downtown Santiago. Their aim was to kidnap and kill Schneider. Given that he was the overall commander of the Chilean armed forces, Schneider pulled out his pistol and fought back, but he was no match ...

The Terrible Truth about U.S. Foreign Policy

by Laurence M. Vance May 1, 2023

Many conservatives just don’t get it when it comes to U.S. foreign policy. After Lu Shaye, China’s outspoken ambassador to France, stated during a televised interview last month that the former Soviet republics “have no effective status in international law because there is no international agreement to recognize their status as sovereign countries,” American Enterprise Institute (

Oversight of Billions for Ukraine Is Not What Is Needed

by Laurence M. Vance March 21, 2023

In an interview with ABC News last month, after it was noted that U.S. aid to Ukraine now totals at least $113 billion, President Joe Biden was told that “many” Americans were asking, “How long can we spend like this?” His response was to first question the number of Americans ...

The Cost of the Nation’s Endless Wars

by John W. Whitehead February 23, 2023

“Autocrats only understand one word: no, no, no. No you will not take my country, no you will not take my freedom, no you will not take my future… A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never be able to ease the people’s love of liberty. Brutality will never grind down the will of the ...

Biden’s “Begging for Barrels” Saudi Disgrace

by James Bovard October 1, 2022

Why don’t you talk about something that matters?” President Biden replied to a journalist asking about why he fist-bumped Saudi dictator Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) during his “begging for barrels” trip to the Middle East in July. Biden hoped the Saudis would rescue his presidency by pumping more oil in order to lower American gasoline prices and prevent the ...

Transform NATO Without U.S. Help

by Laurence M. Vance July 13, 2022

On the eve of the NATO summit held in Madrid on June 29–30, NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “the number of NATO troops on high readiness will multiply by over seven times as part of its largest overhaul since the Cold War and in response to Russian aggression ...