Since the Germanic tribes started to invade the Roman Empire, Germans have dreamt about Italy. Now they have it – Italian political conditions: no parliamentary majority for either of the two big camps (Christian Democrats plus Free Democrats and Social Democrats plus Greens). Other marriages fail on grounds of personal and ideological enmities. So for […]

In the August 25 Washington Post, the top of the Federal Page caught my eye. “U.S. Mint Confiscates 10 Rare 1933 Gold Coins” it read, dateline Philadelphia. Along with the story was a photograph of the obverse and reverse (called “front” and “back” by those down-home folks at the Post) of the famous 1933 Saint-Gaudens […]

Letters from James Hoge, Jr., Moises Naim, Richard John Neuhaus, James Kurth, Tod lindberg, David Goodhart, Steven Lagerfeld and Colin Powell

America needs to face squarely a centrally important new global reality: that the world’s population is experiencing a political awakening unprecedented in scope and intensity, with the result that the politics of populism are transforming the politics of power.

The major intelligence error that presaged the Iraq war and the many errors that followed raise questions about the capacity of the United States to manage complex interventions. They cast a shadow forward on U.S. Middle east policy, as well.

Global warming is real, and the dangers it raises are serious. Luckily, an affordable, market-based solution is at hand.

The Secretary of State gets beneath the headlines to address the theory and practice of American statecraft.

Despite an enormous reservoir of goodwill for the United States in Asia, the Pacific Ocean seems to grow wider every day. Here's a diagnosis of the problem, and a plea for urgent care.

The American soldier fights for freedom, and for God. An “embedded” view of the code of personal conduct that motivates America’s warriors.

Leaves of Grass is 150 years old, but vibrant as ever. A fellow poet celebrates Walt Whitman as America’s muse to the Kosmos, and the craftsman of America’s own spirit.