Recent Publications
“On South Korea, Trump has seriously miscalculated,” CNN Opinion, 20 November 2019
“All of America's formal and informal allies need to have contingency plans in place should they be abandoned by Trump. Some states may find it necessary to bandwagon with China or Russia. Others will pursue their own nuclear deterrent and spark regional arms races. And even if Trump backs down from his ludicrous demand, he has already damaged America's reputation and insulted our allies by making it.
It is hard to imagine how any of this is in the interest of the United States.”
“The Failed Blockade of Qatar,” Arc Digital, 6 june 2019
“Two years later, little progress has been made to end the blockade, but one thing is quite clear — the strategy has failed.
It failed to topple the Qatari emir. It failed to force the closure of the Turkish military base in Qatar. It failed to force the closure of Al Jazeera, the popular satellite television network. And it failed to isolate Qatar economically or politically. Not only has this blockade failed to achieve a single one of its objectives — it has backfired spectacularly. It led to a more independent, globally engaged, and (relatively) open Qatar."
“Trump's Yemen veto sets stage for potential Supreme Court confrontation," CNN Opinion, 17 April 2019
"On Tuesday, President Donald Trump vetoed a bipartisan congressional resolution that would have forced his administration to end military support for Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen. This resolution was the first time that Congress has invoked the 1973 War Powers Resolution (often referred to as the "War Powers Act"), which limits the President's ability to commit US forces abroad without congressional approval.
In addition to the significance of the veto itself, Trump's decision could lead to a Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the War Powers Resolution, which would dramatically expand or limit the President's power to use military force abroad.”
"Trump's latest Iran decision sets a dangerous precedent" CNN Opinion, 9 April 2019
“On Monday, President Donald Trump formally designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). This designation will do nothing to limit the IRGC's malign activities, but it may criminalize the activities of millions of Iranians and foreign tourists -- and set a precedent that Washington may come to regret.
According to the White House statement, this is the first time that the US has designated a unit of a foreign government as a "terrorist organization." In response, Tehran has already designated US Central Command as a terrorist organization. And it's not hard to imagine other adversarial governments designating American individuals or military units as "terrorists" for political reasons.”
"A rousing case for Nato," CNN Opinion, 4 April 2019
"The secretary general did not only focus on material gains and use the language of "sovereign right" and "national interest" to appeal to President Trump. He also emphasized the NATO allies' shared values that the American public can appreciate: That "there is no higher cause than freedom" and that the Atlantic is not a barrier, "rather a great blue bridge to new lands and new possibilities." It is certainly a lovely sentiment.
After all, who prefers isolation to working with partners? Who prefers physical barriers to human connection?
Oh, right.”