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Trump's new counterterrorism strategy

October 9, 2018  •  The Washington Times

"We remain a nation at war." President Trump's new National Strategy for Counterterrorism (NSC) begins with that simple statement of fact. The 21st century is an age of conflict. That's unlikely to change any time soon.

We don't like that. It's more comforting to believe, as President Obama apparently did, that "the tide of war is receding," that eliminating Osama bin Laden was tantamount to defeating al Qaeda; that such terrorist groups as the Islamic State are merely "JV" teams; and that we have experts trained to "counter violent extremism."

"This war, like all wars, must end," President Obama instructed us in 2013. "That's what history advises. That's what our democracy demands."

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The life, times and foreign policies of Jimmy Carter

October 3, 2018  •  The Washington Times

Those elected to high office are stars, but the success of their shows often depends on supporting actors: Their advisers.

For nearly 50 years, Stuart E. Eizenstat has been a wise adviser to Democratic leaders. He served as President Clinton's ambassador to the European Union, and in senior positions at the Departments of State, Treasury and Commerce.

He cut his political and policy teeth earlier, in his 20s, working for Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey. In 1969, he signed on with Jimmy Carter, who was destined to become governor of Georgia and president of the United States.

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Americans' right to self-rule

September 26, 2018  •  The Washington Times

In a stern and defiant speech earlier this month, National Security Adviser John Bolton made clear that the United States will not join the International Criminal Court, will not cooperate with it, nor provide it assistance.

What will the United States do instead? "We will let the ICC die on its own," Mr. Bolton said. "After all, the ICC is already dead to us."

Denunciations were soon flying from academics, "human rights" groups and the major media.

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Criminal regimes against the rest of us

September 20, 2018  •  The Washington Times

Imagine you live in a nice, quiet town and aim to keep it that way. You own a business. Your customers are friendly. Your vendors are honest. People respect one another. They abide by the rules. Then, one day, criminals move into the neighborhood. Do you welcome the thugs, thieves and murderers, conduct business with them and attempt to integrate them into your village?

I suspect your answer is no. So why should it be different in the global village?

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Extremism and fragile states

September 11, 2018  •  The Washington Times

Last year, Congress asked the U.S. Institute of Peace, a government-funded think tank, to develop "a comprehensive plan to prevent the underlying causes of extremism in fragile states in the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and the Near East."

So the Institute of Peace organized a bipartisan task force — a veritable who's who of Washington's foreign policy elite, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and, as co-chairs, former Gov. Tom Kean and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, who headed the 9/11 Commission which investigated the circumstances that led to the attacks 17 years ago, and offered recommendations to avert future terrorist attacks.

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