Section: The American Conservative (USA)
Why ‘America First’ Resonates
What kind of foreign policy would emerge in America if it were crafted and sustained strictly by U.S. public opinion? We can’t know precisely, because we can’t sit down with the American people and ask them in a way that allows for give and take and for probing the thinking behind the various responses. But we do have polls, and they...
Moral Supremacy and Mr. Putin
Is Donald Trump to be allowed to craft a foreign policy based on the ideas on which he ran and won the presidency in 2016? Our foreign-policy elite’s answer appears to be a thunderous no. Case in point: U.S. relations with Russia. During the campaign Trump was clear. He would seek closer ties with Russia and cooperate with Vladimir Putin in...
The Coming Clash With Iran
When Gen. Michael Flynn marched into the White House Briefing Room to declare that “we are officially putting Iran on notice,” he drew a red line for President Trump. In tweeting the threat, Trump agreed. His credibility is now on the line. And what triggered this virtual ultimatum? Iran-backed Houthi rebels, said Flynn, attacked a Saudi warship...
The Bogus ‘Credibility’ Argument and Hawkish Whining
Arthur Herman and Lewis Libby recycle the very tired “credibility” argument once again: In retreating from the Middle East and abandoning Ukraine to Russian aggression, the Obama administration contended America wouldn’t lose prestige around the world. It was wrong. Asian powers, especially China, have noted the U.S. failure to enforce the...
Rubio’s Grandstanding on Tillerson
Rubio is the last Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee whose final position on Tillerson still isn’t known. He was the senator doing the most grandstanding during the confirmation hearing earlier in the month: “In order to have moral clarity, we need clarity. We can’t achieve moral clarity with rhetorical ambiguity,” Rubio...
New President, New World
“Don’t Make Any Sudden Moves” is the advice offered to the new president by Richard Haass of the Council on Foreign Relations, which has not traditionally been known as a beer hall of populist beliefs. Haass meant the president should bring his National Security Council together to anticipate the consequences before tearing up the Iran...
Four Flashpoints
Within months of taking office, President Donald Trump is likely to face one or more major international crises, possibly entailing a risk of nuclear escalation. Not since the end of the Cold War has a new chief executive been confronted with as many potential flashpoints involving such a risk of explosive conflict. This proliferation of crises...
Is Trump the New Reagan?
Since World War II, the two men who have most terrified this city by winning the presidency are Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. And they have much in common. Both came out of the popular culture, Reagan out of Hollywood, Trump out of a successful reality TV show. Both possessed the gifts of showmen — extraordinarily valuable political assets in a...
Tillerson’s Underwhelming Performance
One of the main assumptions that almost everyone has made about Tillerson’s nomination to be Secretary of State is that he would be inclined to improve relations with Russia. Some of his answers from his confirmation hearing today call that assumption into question: Mr. Tillerson also told the committee that if he had been serving in office...
Does Promoting American Values Make the World Safer?
Does the world look “to America as the indispensable nation … because America stands for universal values and aspirations,” as Hillary Clinton claimed yesterday evening? Clinton made the comment during a ceremony at the State Department to celebrate the completion of the U.S. Diplomacy Center pavilion, which I had the pleasure of attending. The...
