George W. Bush

Ukraine’s Blame Game

Whose mistakes led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Clarifying the Terms of Debate Over a Once-Popular War

When discussing the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and its aftermath, it’s important to recall the circumstances that led to the conflict.

America’s Afghanistan Deception: A Review of Craig Whitlock’s Afghanistan Papers
America’s Afghanistan Deception: A Review of Craig Whitlock’s Afghanistan Papers

“The Afghanistan Papers” by Craig Whitlock is modeled on the Pentagon Papers, which charged that the Johnson administration systematically lied to Congress and the public about the Vietnam War. This book makes the same charge against the Bush and Obama administrations.

Neither World War II nor Vietnam: 9/11 and the New Paradigms of War
Neither World War II nor Vietnam: 9/11 and the New Paradigms of War

In her 2003 book Just War Against Terror, Jean Bethke Elshtain argued for a new paradigm for a just war: the fight against global terrorism, particularly terrorism perpetrated by followers of militant Islam. Twenty years after 9/11, this claim is due for revisiting.

Major Dan and Major John: A Reflection on Afghanistan’s Fall
Major Dan and Major John: A Reflection on Afghanistan’s Fall

Robert G. Morrison reflects on the fall of Afghanistan and the lack of religious freedom there.

Power, Security, and Biden’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Power, Security, and Biden’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan

As the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 looms, President Joe Biden has rushed to pull US troops out of Afghanistan. What are we to make of all of this?

Marksism — No. 49: Jesus & Hamas, New Whiggery, & Iraq War

Today we’re covering three scintillating pieces from Providence this week, one on the Israel and Hamas conflict, another on a new book about the Iraq War, and thirdly, one by yours truly on the New Whiggery.

How the Bush Administration Failed: A Review of Robert Draper’s To Start a War
How the Bush Administration Failed: A Review of Robert Draper’s To Start a War

Robert Draper’s book To Start a War details why the Bush administration made a gravely mistaken decision, despite having clearly met the jus ad bellum criteria of “right intention.”

The Roots of US Foreign Policy Today: The Historical Origins of Present Debates
The Roots of US Foreign Policy Today: The Historical Origins of Present Debates

The fact that Americans have shifted their focus back to domestic concerns isn’t abnormal or un-American. It is the predictable resurgence of the two domestically focused schools of the American foreign policy tradition.