George W. Bush

Lessons Learned, Relearned, and Unlearned in Afghanistan
Lessons Learned, Relearned, and Unlearned in Afghanistan

In the almost-19 years since they dispatched their military to Afghanistan, US policymakers and the people they represent have learned, relearned, and unlearned several lessons.

The Battle for the History of the Afghan War
The Battle for the History of the Afghan War

Much of Carter Malkesian’s narrative about the Afghan war is spot-on, but he gets several key events wrong.

We Have an Expectation Problem in Afghanistan
We Have an Expectation Problem in Afghanistan

In the wake of the Washington Post’s big document dump of secret government and military communications about the war in Afghanistan, a fresh wave of calls for pulling out of Afghanistan is sounding across the media.

THE ROLE OF MORALITY IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
The Role of Morality in International Politics

What is the role of moral values in the conduct of foreign relations? Although many answers have been given, three major traditions predominate: realism, idealism, and principled realism.

Here We Go Again and Again - War on Terror - 9/11
Afghanistan and The Taliban: Here We Go Again and Again

If history is any guide, we will regret abandoning Afghanistan (again), trusting the Taliban and disengaging from the world around us.

Withdrawal Symptoms: Part 2 of the Decline of Democracy Series
Withdrawal Symptoms: Part 2 of the Decline of Democracy Series

When it comes to democracy promotion, it seems the Obama-Trump era is the aberration.

A Return to Christian Realism
A Return to Christian Realism

We need a return to a sober Christian Realism that appreciates our fallenness, the fallenness of the world, and our limits in shaping world events.

The Price of Cheap Order: Afghanistan, America and Endless War

In fact, this finger-in-the-dam strategy is the best available option given America’s de facto preference to enjoy relative freedom from jihadist violence without the expense of solving the root problems from which jihadism springs. This style of frontier warfare is the price America pays for regional order on the cheap.

The Case for Pragmatic Globalism: A Review of Paul Miller’s American Power and Liberal Order: A Conservative Internationalist Grand Strategy
The Case for Pragmatic Globalism: Review of Paul Miller’s American Power and Liberal Order

All in all, American Power and Liberal Order is an excellent book providing a spirited defense of what has largely been a successful American grand strategy for the past 70 years. The big question remains whether the same framework could work for the next 70 years, or whether new external challenges and internal political changes call for a different approach.