The New Republic, September 26, 2012 *Republished by The Australian as “Drones Backfire as Civilian Toll Mounts,” October 3, 2012) A new study released this week by researchers at Stanford and NYU has found that American drone strikes in Pakistan are killing far more civilians than advertised, taking out few high value targets, and have become the…
Author: James Joyner
The National Interest September 19, 2012 Afghanistan has been unwinnable has been obvious to most outside analysts since well before the so-called surge of 2009. Now, the United States government has finally admitted the obvious in deeds if not words. Following the murder of six NATO troops in yet another “green on blue” attack in which Afghan…
World Politics Review July 27, 2012 In “The Imperial Presidency: Drone Power and Congressional Oversight,” Michael Cohen argues persuasively that the U.S. Congress has abdicated its constitutional and statutory responsibility to reign in the executive branch in matters of national security policy. Then again, few who have been paying attention this past decade — some…
The Atlantic June 26, 2012 When my copy of The Atlantic came in the mail this week, I was a bit bemused to see that the cover story featured Anne-Marie Slaughter explaining “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All.” In her piece, Slaughter — whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting professionally and interacted with on Twitter —…
CNN’s Global Public Square August 26, 2011 As the Libya crisis has unfolded these last several months, some long-festering contradictions have come to light. First, for a variety of reasons, many of us opposed American intervention in the conflict. As horrible as the potential humanitarian crisis in Benghazi could have been, preventing it did not…
The Atlantic August 23, 2011 The end of Muammar Qaddafi’s regime appears near. Regardless of one’s views on the wisdom of American intervention, that’s cause for celebration. Indeed, celebration is the order of the day, with large crowds cheering and dancing in Libya, in front of the White House, and around the world. The giddiness…
The Atlantic July 20, 2011 If NATO has a plan for achieving victory in Libya, it has been well disguised. Regardless, the world’s most powerful military alliance will surely somehow, someday prevail over a besieged dictator with little support. But is NATO prepared for what happens when they win? Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen took…
The Atlantic June 14, 2011 The blistering farewell speech to NATO by U.S. defense secretary Robert Gates warning of a “dim, if not dismal” future for the Alliance drew the Western public’s attention to a longstanding debate about the state of the transatlantic relationship. With prominent commenters voicing concern about much more than just a…
The Atlantic May 11, 2011 The United States has found itself in a seemingly endless series of wars over the past two decades. Despite frequent opposition by the party not controlling the presidency and often that of the American public, the foreign policy elite operates on a consensus that routinely leads to the use of…
Foreign Policy April 15, 2011 (Republished by NPR as “NATO Is Back In The Saddle” April 18, 2011) NATO’s operations in Libya got off to a rocky start. Although the venerable treaty organization’s member countries — principally Britain, France, and the United States — were dropping bombs on Muammar al-Qaddafi’s military as soon as the ink…