Conflicts of Interest

August 6, 2021

On COI #145 Connor Freeman, writer at The Libertarian Institute, returns to the show to discuss recent attacks on ships near the Persian Gulf. The first attack saw two drones hit a cargo ship, killing two. The US, UK, and Israel have pointed the finger at Iran, claiming to have evidence. However, the governments have […]

Tom Engelhardt

August 5, 2021

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Here’s my question of the week: When it comes to America’s twenty-first-century wars, does the word “end” have any meaning at all? Almost 20 years after George W. Bush and crew invaded Afghanistan, the war there is officially “ending” (as the Taliban takes large parts of the country) and all American […]

Daniel Larison

August 5, 2021

Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh dress up the same failed sanctions approach as a “new approach” to Iran: Since sanctions became serious in 2018, Iran has seen major demonstrations without protesters venting against America. The clerical regime views these protests as potential rebellions; we should, too. The Biden administration says it wants to amp […]

Conflicts of Interest

August 4, 2021

On Conflicts of Interest #144, retired Army Major and Afghan War vet Danny Sjursen returns to the show to discuss Biden’s declared end to the Afghan War. Danny explains how the war has changed under the current administration. He attempts to tackle the tough question: “Is the war actually ending?” Danny and Kyle break down […]

Daniel Larison

August 3, 2021

Daniel Deudney and G. John Ikenberry have written a long article in Survival criticizing foreign policy restraint in general and the Quincy Institute in particular. (Full disclosure: I regularly write for the Quincy Institute’s Responsible Statecraft website and consider the scholars there to be colleagues and friends.) It is a frustrating article, to say the […]

Conflicts of Interest

August 2, 2021

On COI #143, Kyle and Will break down the latest quarterly report from the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which paints a bleak picture for the country as the US’ 20-year war and occupation finally appear to be winding down. A major Taliban offensive over the spring and summer has put around half of […]

Paul Antonopoulos

August 2, 2021

On July 29, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte decided to cancel his plans to end the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) – an important defense treaty with the United States. He said that the legal conditions for the temporary US military presence in the Philippines has existed since 1998, on which the two sides conducted joint exercises […]

Daniel Larison

August 1, 2021

Shibley Telhami describes the findings of a new University of Maryland Critical Issues poll taken earlier this summer. There are a number of interesting results from the survey, but perhaps the most striking one was the discovery that more Americans incorrectly believe Iran possesses nuclear weapons than know that Israel has them: Seventh, more Americans […]

Eric Garris

July 31, 2021

From Massachusetts Peace Action: The peace movement has been talking about the bipartisan consensus on foreign policy for years. The establishment of both the Democratic and Republican parties has overseen expanding US militarism and ballooning Pentagon budgets for decades. But antiwar sentiment and a desire for peace also crosses party lines. More and more Americans […]

Conflicts of Interest

July 30, 2021

On COI #142, Kyle Anzalone breaks down Biden’s Iran policy. Trump took a stark turn from Obama when it came to Tehran. Rather than looking to build on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Trump tore the deal to shreds and embarked on a “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign. With the destruction of the deal, […]