Section: Cato Institute (USA)
The NATO Alliance Is Terminally Ill
Ted Galen Carpenter The attempted military coup in Turkey sent shock waves through NATO. No matter how the coup turned out, it would have bad news for the alliance. If the attempt had succeeded, NATO would have faced the embarrassment of having a member governed by a military dictatorship. Although that type of situation was tolerated during the...
Turkey Convulsed by Failed Coup: Turkish Voters, Not Soldiers, Should Topple Erdogan
Doug Bandow Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled Turkey for more than a decade. He should be enjoying his time of triumph. He towers above the political system, able to create and dismiss governments at will. The mayor turned prime minister turned president created a new, victorious Islamic movement. He eradicated the gaggle of old, squabbling secular...
NATO’s Mounting Internal Challenges
Ted Galen Carpenter The Warsaw summit, which took place on July 8 and 9, occurred at a time when the challenges facing the venerable North Atlantic Treaty Organization have never been more serious. Despite the usual expressions of alliance solidarity, there are numerous troubling developments that are likely to plague NATO in the coming months...
NATO Isn’t a Social Club: Montenegro, Georgia, and Ukraine Don’t Belong
Doug Bandow Members of NATO, the quintessential Cold War alliance, are meeting in Warsaw. They are dragging the U.S. back into its traditional role of guaranteeing the security of Europe, even though the continent is well able to defend itself. Worse, Georgia and Ukraine continue to lobby to join, which would make America less secure. The North...
Turkey Makes up with Russia; America Also Needs to End New Cold War with Moscow
Doug Bandow Turkey and Russia have kissed and made up. Or at least done the diplomatic equivalent. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his regret over the shoot-down of a Russian aircraft last November. Russian President Vladimir Putin began dropping his government’s retaliatory sanctions. There’s talk of possible...
The Fallout from Brexit
Marian L. Tupy As someone who supported Brexit, it behooves me to use my column this week to address some of the issues that have arisen since the outcome of the referendum on British membership in the European Union was announced on June 24. Below, I will discuss the supposed lack of planning by the supporters of Brexit, xenophobia and racism...
Britain Exits the European Union: Will the EU Survive and Should America Care If It Does?
Doug Bandow The United Kingdom will exit the European Union. Nigel Farage of the United Kingdom Independence Party had declared: “Win or lose this battle, we will win this war. We will get our country back.” Average voters won both the battle and war against most of their nation’s political, business, cultural, and media elites. The shock...
NATO’s Open Door Leads to an Identity Crisis
Emma Ashford On Monday, War on the Rocks hosted an open letter signed by a number of former senior U.S. policymakers that strongly promotes the quick ratification of Montenegro’s accession to NATO. With the exception of Russian opposition, Montenegro is a relatively uncontroversial candidate for membership. Yet when considered more broadly,...
Brits Should Look to America before Voting on Brexit
Doug Bandow Donald Trump’s success in the U.S. is not unique. Europe is being buffeted by similar populist currents. Illiberal, nationalist governments rule Hungary and Poland. Austria nearly elected a right-wing nationalist as president. Anti-EU leftists share power in Portugal. Swiss voters have targeted immigration and Islam. The Dutch...
Hillary Clinton Criticizes Donald Trump, Reveals Herself to Be Queen of War
Doug Bandow Distrusted by most Americans and generating little enthusiasm even among supporters, Hillary Clinton has wrapped up the Democratic presidential nomination but fallen behind Donald Trump in some polls. Her antidote? A brutal attack on Trump for what she termed his rants, feuds, and lies. It was an ironic tactic for someone whose...
