Strange bedfellows of 2015: As the Obama administration pushes toward a major new trade agreement in Asia this spring, it is developing two unlikely allies – Chinese officials abroad, who are signaling that they want in, and Republicans in Congress, who appear willing to support what would be one of President Barack Obama’s biggest successes.… اقرأ المزيد
What went wrong for the U.S.-backed government in Yemen and what are the consequences for counterterrorism operations there against Al-Qaeda’s most dangerous affiliate? Both questions have disturbing answers. President Barack Obama touted Yemen just last September as a country where the U.S. “successfully” was “taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the… اقرأ المزيد
A sign of the concern among business and political leaders in Davos, Switzerland, about sluggish economic growth is that one of the World Economic Forum sessions this week was titled “Avoiding a Centennial Slump” – meaning a downturn that lasts a hundred years. Few are quite that gloomy. But “secular stagnation,” as Lawrence Summers, the… اقرأ المزيد
In the days after the deadly attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, France declared “war” on terrorism, 10,000 French paramilitary police took to the streets and U.S. conservatives chided President Barack Obama for not leading this new war against jihadis. Sorry, but this war-on-terror mobilization is the wrong response to the Charlie Hebdo tragedy.… اقرأ المزيد
As the United States and Iran continue negotiating a possible breakthrough nuclear agreement, both sides are carrying concealed weapons that could be used if the talks collapse. The threats that underlie the bargaining are rarely discussed publicly, but both countries recognize the dangers ahead if they don’t reach an agreement by the June 30 deadline.… اقرأ المزيد
The recent plunge in oil prices to below $50 a barrel offers the same lessons as previous sharp fluctuations: Energy markets work and politicians who try to steer them almost always get it wrong. It’s ironic that, amid this demonstration of the inexorable power of supply and demand, Congress is beginning its debate on the… اقرأ المزيد