Hoover Institution
Research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and author of Managing American Hegemony: Essays on Power in a Time of Dominance; former Associate Professor of International Security Studies at the United States Military Academy; former Director for Defense Strategy at the National Security Council (2002-2005); advisor on national security and military issues to John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign
Republican Rhetoric on Foreign Policy: What's the Plan? If former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is next year's Democratic nominee, foreign policy will be front and center in the presidential campaign. Most of the 17 Republican hopefuls are foreign-policy amateurs, but they're almost unanimously hawkish, blaming the Democrats for "weakness."
Cuts in the Pentagon: Too Much or Not Enough? Ground wars like those in Iraq and Afghanistan, at 13 years the longest in American history, are things of the past. Defense against Chinese cyber-warriors or terrorists in Africa won't require tanks, warplanes or massive armies. That's the theory behind Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's proposed cuts in the Pentagon budget.
Is President Obama Too 'Passive' in Foreign Affairs? President Obama is accused of standing by as Egypt's generals deposed an elected government and killed almost 1000 opponents both in the streets and in custody. Promised aid to Syrian rebels has not materialized, months after Obama's demand that President al-Assad step down.
The Pentagon, 'Sequester' and National Security In August, when the White House and Congress failed to agree on taxes and spending, they compromised on what's called "sequester." That means an automatic 10 percent across-the-board cut in domestic spending and in the Pentagon, effective on the first day of next year.
The Pentagon, 'Sequester' and National Security The US plans to spend more on defense next year than the next 17 countries combined. So why is Washington so worried about an automatic 10 percent cut? That's part of what's called "sequester," the deal made by both parties in August, when they failed to agree on an overall federal budget.
Who Benefits from WikiLeaks' Release of Military Documents? On Saturday WikiLeaks released almost 400,000 classified reports about the Iraq war and promised more to come about the war in Afghanistan. At a London news conference, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was joined by Daniel Ellsberg , who leaked the Pentagon Papers almost 40 years ago.
Who Benefits from WikiLeaks' Release of Military Documents? On Saturday WikiLeaks released almost 400,000 classified field reports about the Iraq war, and promised more to come about the war in Afghanistan. Those reports are now on the Internet and in newspapers worldwide. The Pentagon says WikiLeaks has put lives at risk and given adversaries valuable information.
New Leadership, but the Same Strategy in Afghanistan In the Rose Garden today, President Obama said General Stanley McChrystal was a good soldier who was always courteous to his commander in chief. But, McChrystal's command in Afghanistan could not survive that interview with Rolling Stone magazine…
General McChrystal Is Relieved of Command General McChrystal is out as commander in Afghanistan , replaced by General David Petraeus, one of America's best-known military leaders. By trashing the President , McChrystal and his team spotlighted ongoing dispute over the War in Afghanistan.
Definitely not talking about Julian Assange Fine, maybe we talk about him a little. Plus, Paul Manafort’s flawed redacting, and we still don’t know much about the secret foreign company subpoenaed by the federal prosecutor who could be the special counsel.
Could agave become Santa Barbara’s next major crop? In many ways, growing agave in Santa Barbara makes a lot of sense. Not only does it use very little water and thrive on generally inhospitable land, but it can act as a fuel break for wildfires. Now, local farmers and distillers are experimenting with the crop.
One year later, the threat of more mudslides still exists One year ago, torrential rain pelted the hillside community of Montecito, which was scorched a month earlier by the Thomas Fire. It unleashed a flow of mud and boulders the size of cars and killed 23 people. We check in with the community one year later and talk about what’s being done to prevent another debris flow.