“The spirit of this country is totally adverse to a large military force.” — Thomas Jefferson Dear President Obama, Congratulations on winning your second term in office. I wish you the best as you work with your team, and the Congress, to chart a course to strengthen our economic and national security in the years […]
In a radio interview airing Nov. 17 on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Zhang Junsai, China’s ambassador to Canada, told radio host Evan Solomon that Chinese firms are not involved in foreign espionage, “I can assure you that our companies working in other countries are strictly doing business according to the local laws.” Zhang blamed the […]
An unexpected shadow was cast over President Obama’s swing through Southeast Asia last week by the fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The diversion is interpreted by some as a sign of how the combustibility of the Middle East will undercut Washington’s much-ballyhooed “pivot” toward Asia. As one commentator artfully puts it, “Having [Secretary […]
I received an email from a publisher today, and I was tempted to quickly skim it and move on. Like many of you, I get far more email than I can reasonably deal with. This e-mail, however, was apropos of a blog post I wrote over the summer of 2011 about the Captain America […]
A few quick updates are in order for a regular theme in this blog: Amid a torrent of extravagant prophesying about how China is poised to conquer the world, technological innovations and private entrepreneurs are actually rejuvenating America’s strategic prospects. As previous posts (here and here) have outlined, the marked surge in U.S. oil and […]
Honoring the vitality of America’s private sector The docket of whoever wins today’s presidential election will quickly fill up with unsolicited advice, so I’ll get mine in preemptively: When the White House decides on the next set of recipients for the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian award – George P. Mitchell* […]
As with many Americans, my attention is divided between the election and the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. As fellow New Yorkers and others on the Eastern seaboard work to regain electricity, find transportation, resume their daily routines, and in some cases, cope with devastating losses, election officials are trying to ensure that everyone can access […]
“In the words of my mom, ‘Go vote.’ It makes you feel big and strong.” With this inspiring statement from moderator Bob Schieffer, the final presidential debate concluded, leaving two weeks left until November 6. The third debate, on foreign policy, reinforced the major theme of this election: job creation. Throughout the debates, several foreign […]
You might think most foreign policy wonks were looking forward to last night’s presidential debate but most I know were actually dreading it. It was well known that the difficult and pressing questions on foreign policy would not be asked, and to be honest, foreign policy requires far more nuance and complexity than can fit […]
I’m looking forward to the upcoming presidential debate on foreign policy. This will be the final debate before election day and will be held in Florida on Monday night at 9pm ET and hosted by Bob Schieffer of CBS News. According to the Commission on Presidential Debates we can expect the debate to cover […]
During Monday night’s town hall style debate between President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, the domestic issues once again seem poised to take the spotlight until one Mr. Kerry Ladka took to the microphone. Asking President Obama about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Ladka said: This question actually comes from a […]
Global Brief, Canada’s leading geopolitical magazine, asks four writers in different policy fields what they think key questions for the next U.S. president should be. Responses given by the four writers range from fiscal policy (M. Stabile) to the potential for a new war in the Middle East (M. Fitzpatrick), to approaches to Iran’s nuclear […]
Philip Gordon, the U.S. Department of State’s Assistant Secretary for Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, spoke September 21st on the 20th anniversary of the U.S.’s FREEDOM Support Act (FSA), which has provided democracy and market-reform assistance to eastern Europe and former Soviet states. The FSA has been responsible for training thousands of current and […]
Among an avalanche of 33 resolutions adopted last month by the U.N. was one calling for the protection of journalists around the globe. The Council’s 21st session was suspended, but not before they made a clear defense of the press. The council condemned attacks and violence against the press, particularly at the hands of […]
When traditional television was looking the other way, YouTube launched a truckload of what they call “original channels.” The channels cover everything from food and travel to autos and topics for moms. According to an article in the Guardian on Oct. 8: The Google-owned video website has linked up with media companies including Hat […]