Then the president surprised his own staff by requesting congressional authority. Yet Secretary of State John Kerry told legislators that the president has the right to attack “no matter what Congress does.” President Obama later made the same claim.

They are wrong....]]> Fri, 30 Aug 2013 00:00:00 -0500 The United States faces no serious military threats today, yet is constantly at war. Syria is the latest target.

Traditionally Washington did not look for wars to fight. The government’s duty was to protect the American people from conflict.

Measured on this scale there is no cause for intervening in the Syrian imbroglio. The regime has little capacity to harm the U.S. or resist the overwhelming retaliation that would occur in response to any attack. Syria’s chemical weapons have little more utility than high explosives and nothing close to the killing capacity of America’s many nuclear weapons.

The possibility of radical Islamist...]]> Thu, 01 Aug 2013 00:00:00 -0500 The U.S. economic recovery remains anemic, so President Barack Obama wants Washington to spend more money. Of course, if the economy was booming, he would want the federal government to spend even more money.

Nevertheless, the favorite justification for public expenditures these days is to “stimulate” the economy. The fact that $5 trillion in federal deficits during the president’s first four years in office didn’t create a buoyant economy doesn’t matter. If we would just spend a little more, everything would be wonderful.

So desperate is he to spend more that in his Tuesday speech he offered the GOP a deal: reform corporate...]]> Tue, 30 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0500 The U.S. backed military regime in Cairo is killing more supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi. Yet Washington continues to proclaim its inability to see a coup, so America’s aid money still flows. The Obama administration is turning hypocrisy into an art form. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is not fooled.

The great foreign policy illusion in Washington is that the U.S. government controls international events. Thus, the administration proclaims that it must continue to hand $1.55 billion annually to the generals in Cairo to preserve its influence. Yet when did America last exercise influence in Egypt?

Washington has provided almost $75 billion in foreign...]]> Tue, 16 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0500 Pyongyang urged the U.S. to “positively respond” to the former’s call for negotiations “without preconditions.” Washington refused to “engage in talks merely for the sake of talks” and insisted that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea commit to denuclearization. The diplomatic impasse on the Korean peninsula continues.

The current situation endangers everyone. The so-called Demilitarized Zone remains the most heavily armed border on earth. No one wants war, but mistake or misjudgment is possible. Although the U.S. and Republic of Korea would triumph in any conflict, the price would be extravagant.

The allies continue to...]]> Fri, 12 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0500 The U.S. may be the colossus that bestrides the globe, but Qatar is the pipsqueak that dominates the Middle East. An overstatement, perhaps, but the tiny kingdom of Qatar, essentially a family-owned energy company with some territory and a few people attached, has been destabilizing nearby nations. The new emir should concentrate on freeing his own people.

Qatar won its independence from Great Britain only in 1971, after which it was a pleasant backwater. But in 1995 Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani overthrew his father in a palace coup.

Sheikh Hamad had grand ambitions for his nation of about 250,000 citizens (and 1.7 million expatriate workers with no political rights). A year...]]> Tue, 09 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0500 For a time this major port, and largest city in the small South American country of Ecuador, was thought the likely destination of Edward Snowden. However, Ecuador, whose London embassy hosts asylum-seeker Julian Assange of WikiLeaks fame, appears to have cooled on the now infamous American leaker.

Long seen as a Chavez-style left-wing firebrand, President Rafael Correa originally praised Snowden for his exposure of National Security Agency spying and Ecuadorian diplomats provided Snowden with travel papers from Hong Kong. However, President Correa quickly back-tracked.

When questioned later, he emphasized that “we also believe in human rights and due process,”...]]> Mon, 08 Jul 2013 00:00:00 -0500 American foreign policy is a wreck. The presumption that Washington controls events around the globe has been exposed to all as an embarrassing illusion.

Egypt teeters on the brink, again. Syria worsens by the day. Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are dead, with another intifada in the wind. North Korea threatens to nuke the world. Violence grows in Nigeria. The Europeans have gone from disillusioned to angry with President Barack Obama. Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela reject U.S. leadership in Latin America. Even Iranian reformers support Iran’s nuclear program. Zimbabwe’s vicious Robert Mugabe is likely to retain power in upcoming elections. Iraq is friendly...]]> Tue, 25 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500 A miracle happened in Washington last week. Legislators failed in their attempt to mulct the public.

Congress is debating the so-called Federal Agricultural Reform and Risk Management Act. More commonly known as the Farm Bill, it is a looting expedition, roughly 80 percent general welfare (Food Stamps, officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and 20 percent farm welfare (agricultural price supports).

Although Washington is drowning in red ink, Republicans and Democrats disagree only over minor details. The Democratic Senate approved a $955 billion package. The House Republican leadership pushed a $940 billion measure.

Rep. Collin...]]> Tue, 25 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500 Another G8 meeting has come and gone. The world’s most important industrialized states gathered to discuss the most pressing issues. 

This meeting, in Northern Ireland’s Belfast, was chaired by British Prime Minister David Cameron, since his nation holds the group’s presidency this year. London’s three main goals are trade, taxation and transparency. Despite the usual flurry of ponderous public statements and breathless press analyses, the meeting was a waste. Consider the official agenda.

Trade. This is important, given the collapse of the latest round of trade liberalization. However, the G8 was unable to achieve...]]> Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500 The G8 is meeting in Northern Ireland’s Belfast. The group of important industrial states is chaired this year by British Prime Minister David Cameron.  London’s three top objectives are trade, taxation, and transparency. 

No doubt, there will be a flurry of ponderous public statements and breathless press analyses. But as I argue on National Interest online, the meeting likely will be a waste. 

Trade liberalization is a worthy goal, but the U.S. and European commitment to agricultural subsidies has essentially killed the Doha round under the World...]]> Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500 The bitterest fights tend to be civil wars. Today Syria is going through such a brutal bloodletting.

The administration reportedly has decided to provide arms to Syria’s insurgents. It’s a mistake.

This kind of messy conflict is precisely the sort in which Washington should avoid. Despite the end of the Cold War the U.S. armed services have spent much of the last quarter century engaged in combat. At the very moment Washington should be pursuing a policy of peace, policymakers are preparing to join a civil war in which America’s security is not involved, other nations have much more at stake, many of the “good” guys in fact are bad, and there...]]> Mon, 10 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500 Protesters have taken to the streets in Istanbul, Turkey’s first city. The metropolis is a vibrant mix of cultures, as Byzantium lurks in the shadow of Islam. Geographically the city and country are divided between East and West by the Bosporus Strait. Politically Turkey is drawn by both the past and the future.

The planned demolition of a small park in central Istanbul triggered demonstrations in Istanbul. The heavy-handed response by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government spurred protests across the nation. Then came a flood of predictions that the “Turkish Spring” was set to sweep away yet another authoritarian regime.

Yet...]]> Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0500 Indonesia has much to celebrate. The world’s most populous Islamic nation surmounted the Suharto dictatorship to create a democratic and increasingly prosperous state. If it can overcome secessionist pressures in what remains an artificial country, Indonesia may become an important counterweight to China in Southeast Asia.

Indonesians also could encourage Islam to move in a more tolerant direction. The population is 88 percent Muslim, 9 percent Christian, 2 percent Hindu, and 1 percent Buddhist. Despite the size of its Muslim population, Indonesia’s politics traditionally have been secular. The Islam practiced by most of its adherents is moderate. In its new...]]> Sun, 05 May 2013 00:00:00 -0500 The Syrian civil war lurches on, adding new casualties every day.  The campaign to push the U.S. into the Syrian civil war also marches on, threatening to add American casualties to the human toll.  Possible use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government is another reason to stay out, not to get in.

Washington’s foreign policy should be one of peace.  There are tragic times when war becomes necessary, but thankfully not often.  Especially for America, which enjoys a privileged international position.

Construction on Kaesong commenced a decade ago. It was part of the so-called Sunshine Policy, an attempt by the Republic of Korea to bribe Pyongyang into behaving better. The ROK government provided money, food, and fertilizer. South Korean companies provided investments, salaries, and goods. There was nothing wrong with the idea in principle. After decades of a fighting a cold war sometimes turned hot, Seoul hoped to encourage detente...]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500 President Barack Obama wants to give low-wage Americans a raise. Actually, he wants to force other people to give them a raise. It’s a bad idea.

In his State of the Union speech President Obama proposed hiking the minimum wage to $9 an hour, a 24 percent jump.

The problem is, companies must earn more than they spend. Workers must produce more than they are paid. As government raises the minimum wage, it prices people out of the market.

The bulk of economic studies demonstrate that raising the minimum wage destroys jobs.

The minimum wage encourages companies to automate and switch to fewer higher skilled, more productive workers who are worth the higher...]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500 Everyone except President Barack Obama understands that the federal government has a spending problem. Yet Uncle Sam gives away more than $600 billion to states and localities every year. It’s time to turn off the spigot, implementing the Reagan vision of transferring program responsibilities and revenues sources away from Washington.

The original governmental system for the newly independent colonies envisioned states funding the national authorities. There was no enforcement mechanism, so the Articles of Confederation didn’t yield a very effective continental government. But the principle made a lot of sense. The best way to constrain national politicians was to make...]]> Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500 America once was a normal country. Then Washington wouldn’t have been involved in the Korean Peninsula. And North Korea wouldn’t have bothered to threaten the U.S. with death and destruction.

But today the U.S. finds itself entangled in the bitter rivalry between the two Koreas. And the target of Pyongyang’s abundant invective. 

America was drawn into the peninsula at the conclusion of World War II, which is over. The U.S. was pulled into a very hot conflict by the Korean War, which also is over. Washington stayed involved to safeguard the South during the Cold War, which is over as well. Yet 28,500 Americas remain stationed in the...]]> Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500 When North Korea’s roly-poly Kim Jong Un threatens Americans with death and destruction, one is reminded of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick invading America in the Cold War novel “The Mouse That Roared.” If the North wasn’t a totalitarian dictatorship in which people starved to death, Pyongyang could be the set for a comedic farce.

There’s nothing unusual with the so-called Democratic People’s Republic of Korea pouring vitriol on its enemies. South Koreans have lost count of the number of times the DPRK has threatened to turn Seoul into a “lake of fire.” Pyongyang’s YouTube video of New York City going up in flames was a first, but...]]> Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500 President Barack Obama wants to give low-wage Americans a raise. Actually, he doesn’t plan on writing anyone a check. Rather, he wants to force other people to write checks.

It’s a bad idea, no matter how popular.

In his State of the Union speech President Obama argued: “no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty.” He proposed hiking the minimum wage to $9.00 an hour, a 24 percent jump, which “would raise the incomes of millions of working families.” (Other Democrats have advocated $10.10 per hour.) 

The president suggested that employers, too, would benefit: “For businesses across the country, it would...]]> Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 The long-standing Syrian dictatorship is an abomination. The ongoing Syrian civil war is a tragedy. America should stay out.

A decade ago another administration began another war with a promise of enshrining Pax Americana on the Euphrates. Unfortunately, the result was a wrecked Iraq, empowered Iran, and discredited America. With the decade-long attempt to implant liberal democracy in Afghanistan finally coming to a close, Washington should reject proposals for another unnecessary war of choice.

It has been two years since a peaceful rising began against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Despite hopes of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others that...]]> Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 Secretary of State John Kerry made a surprise visit to Baghdad to ask the Iraqi government to stop helping Iran support Syria’s Bashar Assad. Kerry received an embarrassing rebuff—so much for the Bush administration’s celebrated victory over Saddam Hussein.

This time ten years ago the grand Iraqi cakewalk had begun. American military forces were racing toward victory. The world was going to be transformed.

But not in the way President George W. Bush and his top officials imagined. Invading Iraq turned out to be one of Washington’s greatest strategic mistakes.

U.S. policy in the Middle East long has been marked by myopic, counter-productive...]]> Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 The so-called Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is impoverished and decrepit. Its people are starving and risk death to flee their tragic land. The country is virtually friendless and suffers under a bizarre system of monarchical communism. Pyongyang’s armed forces are dwarfed by those of the U.S., the globe’s premier military power.

Yet the DPRK has struck fear into the hearts of otherwise sober American policymakers and analysts. The administration announced plans to spend a billion dollars to add 14 interceptors to the missile defense in Alaska to guard against a North Korean attack. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter rushed to Seoul to consult the...]]> Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 The U.S. government collects military alliances like some people collect Facebook friends: the more the better. Yet as Washington’s allies increasingly find themselves embroiled in potentially violent territorial disputes around the world, America may find collecting allies to be more expensive than collecting art.

Alliances should be a means rather than an end. Countries should join together to attain important common objectives. The most obvious purpose of a military coupling is security.

More than 30 years ago, Argentina and Britain battled over control of the lightly populated Falkland Islands (called Malvinas by Buenos Aires). Washington tilted toward Britain...]]> Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 After decades of repression, reform has come to Burma. But much remains to be done. This week the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will debate Burma’s progress, and particularly whether to drop its designation of Burma, or Myanmar, as a “country of concern.”

For years Burma competed for the world title of worst government. North Korea usually took home the crown, but Burma’s leaders in the capital city of Naypyidaw never gave up trying. The long-lived military junta waged war on the Burmese people, suppressed democratic freedoms, and locked the nation into grinding poverty.

But now change is underway. The military has formally stepped...]]> Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 California Democrat Pete Stark finished 40 years in Congress in January. The 81-year-old proclaimed himself pleased with the half of his life spent in “public service” on Capitol Hill, yet the public has suffered disastrously from his efforts allegedly on its behalf.

Federal spending, deficits and debt have skyrocketed. The U.S. has engaged in endless, bloody and unnecessary wars.

Entitlement programs have exploded out of control, threatening America’s financial future.

The wasteful burden of inefficient regulation has climbed as job creation has stalled. The war on drugs has morphed into nanny-state regulation of cigarette smoking and soda...]]> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 As befits the capital of Europe’s most prosperous nation, Berlin continues to grow. A new luxury condominium complex is planned along the Spree River. Alas, construction requires knocking down part of the original Berlin Wall.

The development would remove only a small section of the 1400 yards remaining, but emotions run high. Protestors have gathered and one demonstrator complained: “This is history, and it belongs to us Germans. The whole world knows this.”

At least it should.

It is difficult to measure the human cost of communism. Nazism, with its genocidal attempt to eliminate an entire people, holds a special horror. But communism afflicted...]]>