Bernard Finel and I published an op-ed today in Newsday examining the National Security consequences of the current economic crisis–and of national debt, in particular.  Take a look and let us know what you think.
National security: U.S. must put economics first
BY JAMES M. LUDES AND BERNARD I. FINEL
October 10, 2008–The financial crisis and how we respond to […]

You heard it here, first.  Literally.  
The voice of ASP could be heard in Friday’s presidential debate on three key issues:

 Accountability.
Are We Winning?
Iraq: Lessons Learned.

Let’s take these one by one. 
Accountability
In his opening statement, Senator McCain hearkened back to General Dwight Eisenhower drafting remarks on the eve of D-Day in the event the invasion had failed.  He […]

Commentary: Strategic Realism and Georgia
Conflicting Interests in Colombian Justice
Taliban Launches Attacks in Afghanistan
Pakistan’s Uncertain Future
American Reflections on the End of Musharraf’s Rule

Gates Warns Against Increasing Militarization of US Foreign Policy
Congressional Investigators Report Homeland Protection Programs In Disarray
US Sends Envoy to Talks with Iran

The release of a new report on War Powers has prompted a lot of media coverage.  In an op-ed in the New York Times (Put War Powers Back Where They Belong), James Baker and Warren Christopher lay out a new model focused on consultation between the President and Congress prior to using force.   Their […]

UN Team to Inspect Nuclear Site in Syrian
EU Approves Economic Sanctions Against Iran
House Passes Bill, Increasing Government´s Eavesdropping Ability
Truce in Gaza
Islamism and Education in Algeria
Iran Reports Common Ground with Atomic Offer

Crossposted from Huffington Post.
Many conservatives have developed a dangerous case of the Iraq Syndrome. Whereas the Vietnam Syndrome affected mostly people on the left and gave them an overly pessimistic view of American power, the Iraq Syndrome is equally dangerous in reducing most of America’s foreign policy problems to Iraq.
The latest example of the “Iraq […]

 
Crossposted from The HuffingtonPost.
According to several prominent analysts, we are making great progress in the “war on terror.” This claim is based on two trends. First, there has been some decline in the number of casualties from terror attacks over the past few years. Second, there is increasing debate within jihadist circles over the legitimacy […]

It is an unfortunate fact that American elections nowadays bring out a special sort of incoherence in foreign policy discussions. The on-going debate over whether talking to Iran represents some sort of “appeasement” would be amusing if it did not have such high stakes attached to it.
Let’s begin with the basics. The United […]

Following the 9/11 attacks, there was a broad international consensus on the legitimacy of an American military response against al Qaeda and the Taliban government of Afghanistan that harbored the terrorist movement.   Lost in the shock of the attacks was an appreciation of how extraordinary this consensus was.  In practical terms, the international community was […]