- Social:
Council on Foreign Relations
Attorney with Arnold and Porter and a fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations; former legal advisor for the White House National Security Council (2001-2005) and State Department (2005-2009)
PROFILE
John Bellinger
Guest
FROM John Bellinger
To the Point
The Political Battle over Going to War The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and President Obama has formally asked it to authorize limited warfare against ISIL , the so-called Islamic State. Republicans and Democrats agree on his objective — but they're divided about his proposal. The President's military action would last for just three years with no "enduring" ground combat, but he'd also leave in effect the many options given George W. Bush after 911 . For conservative Republicans, there are too many limits. For liberal Democrats, there aren't enough. As positions are being staked out on Capitol Hill, what would it really take to destroy the Islamic State?
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To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
Left, Right & Center
The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.