Civil War

Strange Bedfellows: Is the US Supporting al-Qaeda in Yemen?

The Arab coalition and the US find themselves in the awkward position of directly and indirectly supporting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula while they fight the Houthis in Yemen.

Whose Fault is the Yemeni Crisis Anyway?

Though the Yemen conflict is in many ways a proxy war between Iran and the Saudi coalition, it is much more complicated, and not all the blame should be placed on the coalition for worsening the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Some Soils and Seeds of Isolationism
Some Soils and Seeds of Isolationism

Isolation may be impractical, but its appeal is very understandable. In this article, originally published on June 14, 1943, in Christianity and Crisis, Charles Gilkey presents six influences upon this school of thought, and emphasizes the importance of giving primacy to the opinion of returning veterans in defining future U.S. foreign policy.

American Power and World Responsibility
American Power and World Responsibility

The United States’ involvement in two world wars indicates clearly that American isolationism is at a practical end, Reinhold Niebuhr asserts in this article, originally published on April 5, 1943 in Christianity and Crisis. Working toward international integration is a national responsibility – morally and in the interests of security. Alliances depend on the will of their members; it is no different for the United States. Niebuhr also warns of a new danger: a unilateral “imperialist” American military establishment, simultaneously preoccupied with hegemony and unconcerned with the rest of the world.

Protestant Rivalries and American Foreign Policy - Michael Doran - Jacksonians and Progressives
Protestant Rivalries and American Foreign Policy

Rather than simply securing our borders or pursuing our interests, Americans continue to believe that what happens here is the fate of the earth. The real challenge to this consensus would be a view of America as just another country, neither exceptionally good nor exceptionally evil.

Assassinate Assad?
Assassinate Assad?

Following the Christian just war tradition, could the assassination of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad be justified, despite its illegal nature?

Battle Hymn of Responsibility
Battle Hymn of Responsibility

Christian clergymen of today typically prefer to disparage power and prestige as demonic ensnarements that Jesus shunned when offered. But Jesus exemplifies not the rejection of power per se but rather a godly deployment of it.

Reformation Then & Now

The Reformation’s ennoblement of the God-created individual has a power that many despots don’t recognize until too late.

Francisco Franco era Valley of the Fallen
Monuments, Memories, & Franco

Modern democratic Spain is both a rejection and product of Franco’s dictatorship. Should he be honored or despised?

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