U.S. Nuclear Arsenal a Deterrent, Not an Impromptu Threat

by Walter Pincus

Within the next week, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump will face situations that will require them to take steps that could increase already heightened tensions,...

Trump's War Wider than Afghanistan

by Walter Pincus

Afghanistan is now President Donald Trump’s war, but it’s wider than just that country. Having refused to accept a strategy and operational plan presented to him last month by Defense Secretary...

Pushback Against Iran

by Walter Pincus

As if there were not enough world problems already facing the United States, President Donald Trump is now talking about declaring Iran “non-compliant” with the July 2015 nuclear agreement that...

Trump’s Memory Failures

by Walter Pincus

President Donald Trump’s penchant for making misleading or false statements has been well documented. Former CIA Director John Brennan last week offered a possible reason – one that should be a...

Will Congress Break the Budget Caps This Time Around?

by Walter Pincus

The Congress is heading for another budget crisis as the beginning of fiscal 2018 approaches on October 1. At issue is when and how Congress will act to repeal, replace, or amend – not Obamacare in...

Did Trump Really “Strongly Press” Putin on Election Meddling?

by Walter Pincus

A Trump administration “cover up” is underway. I am not talking about the concealing of activities related to the criminal investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and...

U.S. Fails to Unscramble Mixed Messages on Qatar-Saudi Dispute

by Walter Pincus

Two weeks have passed since I wrote the column about the Saudi-Qatar split, and as of today the Trump administration seems still unable to get its mixed messages together so Washington can play the...

The Days of Nation-Building Are Not Over

by Walter Pincus

If you take Defense Secretary James Mattis at his word, the United States in coming years will be doing nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan, once the ISIS and Taliban forces are defeated. That...

Qatar Controversy: U.S. Creates Vacuum with Mixed Messaging

by Walter Pincus

Today’s diplomatic chaos pitting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Egypt, and other Sunni states against Qatar, can be partly blamed on Trump’s ill thought out utterances and...

U.S, North Korea Play Cat and Mouse Game Over Nukes

by Walter Pincus

Editor’s Note: The North Korean test on Tuesday of what is believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of hitting Alaska, has the U.S. and the rest of the international community...