Jordan Michael Smith

@WriterJMS

His “Clash of Civilizations” essay in Foreign Affairs turned 30 this year. It was provocative, influential, manna for the modern right—and completely and utterly not true.

Centuries of history fed into Putin’s disastrous decision to go to war.

A new isolationist strain is gaining dominance in the GOP. The noninterventionist part is fine. But then there’s the admiration for Putin, the hatred of alliances, the hostility to NATO ...

Walter Russell Mead’s new book shows the United States’ relationship with Israel has always been self-involved and opportunistic.

Thomas Wilner and Andy Worthington have spent two decades trying to close the prison. Can Joe Biden finally make it happen?

The president has had a lot thrown at him. The Middle East, oddly, has been comparatively quiet. That may be about to change.

Sixty-eight congressional Republicans voted against the latest round of Ukraine funding. Sure, it was partly an anti-Biden play—but much more is going on.

Some 6,000 Russian elites help prop their leader up. Can they be pressured to see he’s no longer worth it?

Maybe it’s a sign that he knows his botched war has diminished his power. But he did add one caveat to his assent.

Noam Chomsky kick-started a debate last weekend by arguing for a settlement with Putin. It may come to that, but we’re not there yet.

The Pentagon is talking about lining Eastern Europe with bases. We should let European governments do that.

There is a lot more the West could be doing. But Putin and Russians seem willing—so far—to pay the price.

The economy and inflation, sure. But Ukraine? He’s done about as well as a president can. What gives?

In the short term, there may be little choice in the matter. But it’s bad environmentally—and politically, if they don’t budge.

Hal Brands urges the U.S. to make China and Russia “pay exorbitantly” for their policies. History shows that has never worked.

Some in Washington are pushing for a “limited” no-fly zone, claiming Putin doesn’t want war with NATO. But that’s a big roll of the dice.

Russia is thought to have around 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons. And that’s about all we know.

Putin alone is to blame for the war in Ukraine. Still, some opponents of NATO expansion were strikingly prescient.

Putin is Hitler. Biden is weak. Trump was strong. Let’s nuke ’em. Yadda yadda yadda. Here’s hoping the president isn’t listening to this nonsense.

Yes, the Russian leader is an authoritarian aggressor. But different decisions at key points by the U.S. might have made him less so.