Alan Dowd is a writer and policy analyst who focuses on defense, foreign policy, and American political culture. He contributed essays and analysis to The Weekly Standard between 2006 and 2009, exploring topics ranging from presidential leadership and public opinion to geopolitical challenges. He is also a senior fellow at the Sagamore Institute and a contributor to various other policy publications.
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently raised eyebrows by noting that China is "developing capabilities" that "seem very focused on the United States Navy and our bases that are in that part of the world."
HIS HAGIOGRAPHERS WILL ALWAYS think otherwise, but what President Barack Obama said about America's relationship with the Islamic world during his interview with al Arabiya--namely, that "Americans are not your enemy"--only restated what American presidents have been saying in word and deed for…
Among the questions raised by President-elect Barack Obama's victory, one has been largely overlooked by his critics and supporters: What fate awaits the international missile defense system Washington has been building over the past decade? After all, as is his way, the president-elect has been…
HILLARY CLINTON MAY BE calling herself "the new comeback kid" after wins in Ohio and Texas. But as a number of observers are pointing out, the delegates don't add up. Barring some cataclysm, Sen. Barack Obama's lead will hold all the way to the convention, which means he's going to be the nominee.
THE HEADLINES MAKE THE faint-of-heart yearn for the good old days, when things were stable and simple. The bad news is literally everywhere:
LATER THIS MONTH, officials from Canada and the Netherlands plan to lobby their NATO counterparts to do more in Afghanistan. If the past 12 months are any indication, they shouldn't expect much.
THOUSANDS OF TROOPS have died fighting a war he chose to fight--a war that increasingly appears to be a microcosm of something much larger than what the American people had bargained for. He seems to be stretching presidential power beyond what his predecessors ever imagined. His approval ratings…