Nom de guerre.
Every time that the U.S. conducts airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria it issues a press release, which the media immediately reproduces, telling us that bombs were dropped, ISIS targets were destroyed, and all planes departed safely. With so much destruction under way, the reader is left with the impression that much progress is being made, … Continued
Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus debuted the GOP’s list of 11 “Principles for American Renewal” in a bring-back-the-90s speech that tried to recall the party’s Contract with America. Its first “new” principle is that “our constitution should be preserved, valued and honored.” Yet unlike his other “principles,” Priebus has absolutely no suggestions about what this one … Continued
President Obama may have been forced to back down from his threat to bomb the Assad regime in Syria last year after a massive public outcry, but that doesn’t mean it ever left the agenda. Within less than a week of bombing of ISIS, the U.S. is already considering imposing a “no-fly zone” against the … Continued
America’s taste for getting into no-win wars with undefinable goals is well-known, although rarely stated as honestly as it was yesterday by State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harf. When asked whether the U.S. would “lose” if the U.S. doesn’t insert ground troops into Syria, Harf replied candidly: “I’m not exactly sure what ‘lose’ means.” To lose, you have … Continued
In any conflict, the most important consideration is the definition of success. As George W. Bush found, it’s critical to know when to hang the “Mission Accomplished” banner. In Syria, the White House’s definition of success is the destruction of ISIS, but the question is: when will they be “destroyed”? If ISIS changes their name … Continued
“Degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIL is the mission for Syria. But few people have considered what it would take to make good on those seemingly simple and direct words. The complexity of the mission is implied by the name of the target itself: are we at war with the “Islamic State”? Or is it the … Continued
America is once again at war in the Middle East, dropping bombs and inserting “advisers” on the ground in two countries. Americans seem supportive of the stated mission – destroying one division of the cross border insurgency known as ISIS – but they will increasingly grow tired of the actual mission: regime change in Syria. … Continued
It’s not just libertarians who believe that police have become militarized. It’s police themselves. Last week, Indianapolis Police Chief Rick Hite told his city council that he sees himself as a “soldier in an army” and his police force as “paramilitary organization” that is preparing for “battle.” With the issue of police militarization still hot after … Continued
