US President Barack Obama’s formal declaration of the end of US combat operations in Iraq on August 31 is a good a moment as any to reflect on the war, the United States’ global position, and Obama himself. Iraq War: Have The Goals Been Achieved? First, let me address the Iraq War itself. There were… [Read more]
US decline theorists are having a field day (year?), thanks to America’s worsening economic crisis. Among those predicting that the US will lose its superpower status are Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, and German finance minister Peer Steinbrück. Last week, even the US National Intelligence Council seemed to hint at the loss… [Read more]
Much has been made of how Russia’s recent offensive in Georgia marks its resurgence as a global power. Its invasion came after almost continuous geopolitical reversals for the past 20 years, as evidenced by the following events: Military defeat and withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 Collapse of the USSR in 1991 Military withdrawal from Central… [Read more]