Mark Tooley

Mark Tooley is IRD’s president and editor of IRD’s foreign policy and national security journal, Providence. Prior to joining the IRD in 1994, Mark worked eight years for the Central Intelligence Agency. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and is a native of Arlington, Virginia. He is the author of Taking Back The United Methodist Church, published in 2008; Methodism and Politics in the 20th Century, published in 2012; and The Peace That Almost Was: The Forgotten Story of the 1861 Washington Peace Conference and the Final Attempt to Avert the Civil War, published in 2015.

Follow Mark on Twitter: @markdtooley

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Marksism – No. 88: G.K. Chesterton, Flag Day, Israel, Niebuhr
Marksism – No. 88: G.K. Chesterton, Flag Day, Israel, Niebuhr

In this episode, the editors discuss Eric Patterson and Abigail Lindner’s about G.K. Chesterton and Flag Day, Gerald McDermott’s article about Jewish-Christian relations, and Reinhold Niebuhr’s editorial as the Marshall Plan emerged.

Marksism – No. 87: C.S. Lewis, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Christian Realism

The editors discuss Mark Tooley’s article about how C.S. Lewis and Herbert Butterfield interpreted history, Mark Melton’s five impressions on Christian realism from the early Cold War years, and an event promoting Eric Patterson and Robert Joustra’s new book, “Power Politics and Moral Order.”

Marksism – No. 86: Top Gun Audacity, Vocation of Arms, Truman Doctrine
Marksism – No. 86: Top Gun Audacity, Vocation of Arms, Truman Doctrine

The editors discuss Mark Tooley’s review of Top Gun: Maverick, Marc LiVecche’s article about the “vocation of arms,” and how Reinhold Niebuhr viewed the Truman Doctrine and church-state relations in Europe.

Marksism – No. 84: Just War Tears, Ukraine Martyr, China Irony

In this episode the editors discuss Rebeccah Heinrichs’ article about John Kirby’s emotional statement about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mark Tooley’s editorial about Poland and Ukraine as martyr nations, and Christian realist articles from 1947 debating whether the Chinese communists could exist and thrive in a democracy.

Marksism – No. 83: Hazony’s New Book, Ukraine Support, Cold War Christian Realism
Marksism – No. 83: Hazony’s New Book, Ukraine Support, Cold War Christian Realism

This week the editors discussed a Providence event where Yoram Hazony talked about his forthcoming new book “Conservatism: A Rediscovery,” how Christian realists disagreed over US foreign policy as the Cold War began, Mark Tooley’s article about democracy and decadence, and J. Daryl Charles’ article about deterring nuclear blackmail.

Marksism – No. 82: World War III, Just War vs. Pacifism, Easter

This week the editors discuss Debra Erickson’s article about why the Russia-Ukraine War is not World War III, an exchange about pacifism and the just war tradition, and a 75-year-old article about Easter and the resurrection.

Marksism – No. 81: Moral-Realism, Defending Values, Foolish Foreign Aid

This week the editors discuss Simon Polinder’s article about moral realism, Debra Erickson’s argument about the role of values in foreign policy, and a 75-year-old article about why some people support “foolish” foreign aid.

Marksism – No. 80: War Crimes, Regime Change, Niebuhr in Scotland

The editors discuss Eric Patterson’s article about jus post bellum and war crimes, Reinhold Niebuhr’s letters from Scotland, and Mark Tooley’s remarks on regime change.

Marksism – No. 79: Just War, Ukraine, Isolationism
Marksism – No. 79: Just War, Ukraine, Isolationism

This week the editors discuss Marc LiVecche’s conversation with Rebeccah Heinrichs about the war in Ukraine, Mark Melton’s article about sudden changes in public opinion polling, and Eric Patterson’s series about the ethics of ending wars.

Marksism – No. 78: Putin Off-Ramp, US Empire, Christian Realism vs. Cynicism and Idealism
Marksism – No. 78: Putin Off-Ramp, US Empire, Christian Realism vs. Cynicism and Idealism

This week the editors discuss Alan Dowd’s suggestion for offering Putin an off-ramp, Mike Watson’s article about the value of America’s empire of nations, and Mark Tooley’s comparison of Christian realism with cynicism and idealism.