US Congress

Should the US Sell Weapons to States That Commit Human Rights Violations?
Should the US Sell Weapons to States That Commit Human Rights Violations?

New legislation has been introduced to the US Congress that seeks to stop US weapons from being sold to states that are known human rights abusers or have ties to violent movements.

Absolutism Resurrected: Why We Should Be Cautious of the Expansion of Executive Power under Obama and Trump
Absolutism Resurrected: Why We Should Be Cautious of the Expansion of Executive Power under Obama and Trump

Americans fought a revolution over the exercise of absolute power. We should think long and hard about resurrecting absolutist tendencies in the modern presidency and how we can put the genie back in the bottle.

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.

What You Should Know About NAFTA
What You Should Know About NAFTA

The sixth round of talks to update the NAFTA will begin later this month in Canada. But Canadian officials are increasingly concerned that President Trump will announce the United States will unilaterally withdraw—either as a negotiation tactic or as a way to shift toward Trump’s favored protectionism. Here is what you should know about the perennially controversial trade agreement.

Protestant Rectitude & Secretary Tillerson

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s Protestant rectitude informs his sense of America’s dutiful vocation in the world premised on: “Liberty, equality, and human dignity.”

Reassessing the Congressional Foundations for War Against Jihadists - Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF)
Reassessing the Congressional Foundations for War Against Jihadists

The Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed by Congress in 2001 remains in force, but policymakers are debating whether to repeal, replace, or expand its authorities.

When Human Rights Violations are a National Security Issue: The North Korean Slave Trade
When Human Rights Violations are a National Security Issue: The North Korean Slave Trade

While realists and liberal internationalists typically argue about whether the goal of foreign policy should be to achieve pragmatic objectives or to support our fundamental beliefs about the value of human lives, adherents to either school likely would agree that working to end the scourge of the North Korean slave trade meets the threshold for action.

The End of the Beginning: Patience for Democracy's Leaders
The End of the Beginning: Patience for Democracy’s Leaders

This article, originally published in Christianity and Crisis on November 30th, 1942, urges citizens of democracy to have patience with their leaders. Editor Reinhold…

Bush-Congress Letter
Time to Revive the 2004 Bush-Congress Letter to Israel

Obama’s decision to reject the Bush-Congress letter soured U.S.-Israel relations. From the Israeli perspective, it was a betrayal. But it was also a setback to the cause of peace.