Foreigners often get Mrs Merkel all wrong. She is not the queen of Europe, nor has she any desire to be it. She is a domestic leader and politician whose mounting international stature is always a function of her ability…
International Relations
The Economist: How to understand Angela Merkel’s comments about America and Britain
Posted in International Relations, Noted & Quoted, Operation American Greatness Tagged with: Brexit, Merkel, Trump
Daniel W Drezner: Did President Trump do something wrong congratulating Erdogan? – The Washington Post
Trump actually congratulated Erdogan on the outcome. Trump apparently thought it was a good thing that, despite all the flaws in the process, a bare majority of Turkey’s citizens voted to strengthen their populist leader. I don’t think any other…
What Do Top Legal Experts Say About the Syria Strikes? – Just Security
Stephen Pomper, former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, National Security Council: Thursday night’s missile strikes have the potential to be enormously consequential, not just for Syria and the other…
Posted in International Relations, Noted & Quoted, The Exception, War Tagged with: international law
Hassan Hassan: US strikes mark a new turn in Syria and beyond. Destination unknown – The Guardian
Russia has insisted that it opposes any offensive in Raqqa that does not go through Damascus and Moscow. Unlike previous US-led offensives against Isis, the regime positioned its troops near the front lines in Raqqa, as well as between Raqqa…
Posted in International Relations, Noted & Quoted, Operation American Greatness, War Tagged with: Syria
Jeffrey Goldberg: The Obama Doctrine, R.I.P. – The Atlantic
Even before he became president, Obama worried greatly about slippery slopes in the Middle East. In Syria, he understood that Assad would most likely survive an American missile strike on his airbases; the day after such strikes ended, Assad, Obama…
Posted in International Relations, Neo-Imperialism, Noted & Quoted, Operation American Greatness, War Tagged with: Obama Doctrine
The EU can push for a hard Brexit, too – Financial Times
Even the negotiation process itself allows the EU to do well by doing good. The EU side is considering opening much of the negotiation to public view by publishing negotiation mandates and other documents. That is a good thing in…
Anne Applebaum: The specter of Trump in Munich – The Washington Post
The precarious feeling of uncertainty will nonetheless persist, at least until U.S. authority, in Europe or anywhere else, is seriously challenged. And there are signs that a challenge is coming. In the past few days, the Russian government has recognized…
Azzam Tamimi: In anticipation of the next cycle of Arab revolutions – Middle East Monitor
Looking farther into the more distant future, had democratic transition been successful, one could envisage the creation of what might have become known as the United States of the Middle East, a formidable power with enormous resources, both human and…
Klaus Brinkbäumer: Europe Must Defend Itself Against A Dangerous President – SPIEGEL ONLINE
Germany must stand up in opposition to the 45th president of the United States and his government. That’s difficult enough already for two reasons: Because it is from the Americans that we obtained our liberal democracy in the first place;…
Posted in International Relations, Neo-Imperialism, Noted & Quoted, Operation American Greatness Tagged with: Germany
Stephen Walt: Trump Has Already Blown It – Foreign Policy
What these modern-day Jacobins don’t realize, alas, is that destroying institutions is easier than building them. If their assault on our core political traditions and institutions is successful, the United States will at best end up weaker and poorer. At…