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The Bullpen

Dana Liebelson

Dana Liebelson

The problem with outsourcing the military
Edward Morrissey

Edward Morrissey

Obama's boneheaded health-care fight with Catholics
Daniel Larison

Daniel Larison

The brewing proxy war in Syria
Robert Shrum

Robert Shrum

Nominating Mitt Malaprop
Paul Brandus

Paul Brandus

Obama's 5 biggest mistakes
Taliban militants joining the Afghan government's reconciliation and reintegration program: New reports reveal the Taliban has been directly aided by Pakistan.

NATO's Taliban bombshell: Is Pakistan our enemy?

February 2, 2012, at 10:11 AM

A secret NATO report obtained by the BBC suggests that Pakistan is actively helping the Taliban battle the Afghan government — and U.S. troops

10 Comments
After a failed assassination attempt on U.S. soil last year, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian officials appear more willing to attack the U.S., according to intelligence officials.

Could Iran really launch an attack on U.S. soil?

February 1, 2012, at 10:22 AM

U.S. intelligence agencies say Iran is planning terrorist attacks inside the U.S. to retaliate for threats from Washington and its allies. Is that just fear-mongering?

18 Comments
Mohamed Saad Katatni, an Islamist leader in Egypt's parliament: The U.S. has warned that Egypt must make democratic reforms or risk losing more than $1 billion in aid.

Time to cut off aid to Egypt?

January 31, 2012, at 4:28 PM

As tensions rise between Egyptian authorities and U.S. pro-democracy groups, Cairo risks losing the Western aid its military depends on

14 Comments
Iranian students, waiting for the arrival of international nuclear inspectors, carry pictures of an Iranian nuclear scientist who was killed in a bomb blast this month.

Iran's nuclear threat: Can inspections defuse the tensions?

January 30, 2012, at 10:56 AM

Many Western diplomats hope their worst fears won't be confirmed as international nuclear experts arrive in Iran for a fact-finding mission

5 Comments
The head of Egypt's ruling military council during a televised address Tuesday: Egypt has prevented six Americans, including Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's son, from leaving the country.

Why is Egypt barring 6 Americans from leaving?

January 27, 2012, at 3:35 PM

Egypt clamps down on U.S. groups promoting democratic reforms — potentially endangering the $1.3 billion in U.S. aid the Egyptian army gets each year 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would not cave to pressure to end the country's uranium enrichment program, but he is open to discussion.

Iran's offer to talk nukes: A win for the West?

January 27, 2012, at 12:17 PM

Tehran says it's willing to resume discussions, but insists it won't cave to foreign demands that it stop enriching uranium

13 Comments
Soldiers take part in Iranian naval maneuvers near Iran's Strait of Hormuz: Tehran has threatened to block the busy oil-shipping route, through which 17 million barrels of oil travel every day.

Iran: The showdown over the Strait of Hormuz

January 27, 2012, at 9:45 AM

Tehran threatens to block the world's busiest oil-shipping route. What would happen if the strait were closed?

9 Comments
Demonstrators mark the first anniversary of Egypt's uprising: With Islamist parties gaining the vast majority of parliamentary seats in recent elections, Egypt's future remains very much in doubt.

The future of Egypt's 'unfinished' revolution: 4 predictions

January 26, 2012, at 10:38 AM

A year after the Tahrir Square protests began, the uprising's end game is still in doubt. What's next for Egypt?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits a uranium enrichment facility in 2008: Some critics believe the West should treat Iran no differently than it does any country that's enriching uranium.

Should the West just let Iran enrich uranium?

January 25, 2012, at 12:33 PM

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allows countries to enrich uranium if they agree to rigorous monitoring. Should that standard apply to Iran, too?

14 Comments
Daniel Larison

Daniel Larison: The West's inimical posturing on Iran

January 24, 2012, at 6:05 PM

The EU approves a ban on Iranian oil imports, but what the West really needs is a complete reappraisal of its dealings with Tehran

6 Comments
Chinese nurses take care of newborns Monday: Chinese parents are eager to have children during the Year of the Dragon, the most auspicious zodiac sign in Chinese culture.

China's 'Year of the Dragon' baby boom: A guide

January 24, 2012, at 5:37 PM

The Chinese new year just began this week, but the rush to have babies under the culture's luckiest zodiac sign has been underway for months

A worker at Ford's electric car plant in Michigan: Many U.S. businesses have moved their manufacturing operations to China, stoking worries that American hegemony is a thing of the past.

Is China really on the verge of surpassing the U.S.?

January 24, 2012, at 10:48 AM

Many businessmen believe American hegemony is doomed by China's muscular manufacturing sector. Not so fast, critics say

12 Comments
An oil tanker anchored near the Strait of Hormuz: In response to the EU's planned oil embargo, Iran has threatened to close the critical Persian Gulf oil passage.

Will Europe's Iranian oil embargo backfire?

January 24, 2012, at 10:17 AM

The EU's vow to stop buying millions of barrels of oil a day from Tehran could have a devastating effect on Iran's economy

An assembly line in Shenzhen: China has created an "unparalleled system for taking something from idea to reality faster and easier than any place on the planet," says Sarah Lacy at PandoDaily.

Why Apple builds iPhones (and everything else) in China

January 23, 2012, at 12:07 PM

President Obama reportedly once asked Steve Jobs what it would take to make iPhones in the U.S. Jobs' response wasn't encouraging...

26 Comments
Egyptians protest the election of an Islamist-dominated parliament, though the legislative body's power will likely be limited by the country's muscular military.

4 reasons to view Egypt's Islamists without fear

January 23, 2012, at 11:15 AM

Religious parties overwhelmingly dominate the country's new parliament — but the West shouldn't panic quite yet

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