One of the ironies of contemporary U.S. thinking about foreign policy is the odd status of realism. On the one hand, realist theory remains a staple of college teaching on international relations (along with many other approaches), and government officials often claim that their actions are based on some sort of “realist” approach. But Washington remains for the most part a realism-free zone, with few genuine realists in positions of influence. Moreover, the realist perspective is almost entirely absent from the commanding heights of U.S. punditry. This column, and the consistently insightful writings of people such as Paul Pillar or Jacob Heilbrunn,…

Early in 1968, Clyde Tolson, F.B.I. Director J. Edgar Hoover’s deputy and bosom buddy, a key player in the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., expressed both the hope and intent of those making sure that there would never be another president by the name Kennedy, when he said about RFK that “I hope someone shoots and kills the son of a bitch.” Earlier, as reported by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in his new book, American Values: Lessons I Learned from My Family, the influential conservative Westbrook Pegler expressed this hope even more depravingly when he wished “that some…

Ramadan is a special month in the Islamic calendar when practising Muslims show their respect for the time in which Allah revealed his teachings to the Prophet Mohammad. Since the words heard by the Prophet are believed to make up the Islamic holy text, the Qur'an, the month is of huge importance across the Islamic world as a chance to show reverence to Allah and escape from the pace of everyday life. It involves a focus on being one's best possible self, with the hunger, thirst, frustration, irritation and sexual attraction felt by everyone all put to the test during of self-restraint followed by celebration. As such, being a Muslim…

Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the Committee. It is an honor to appear before you today. I thank you for your invitation. I am glad the Committee is holding this hearing about our policy in Syria. Through superb efforts led by our military and with the excellent help of our diplomatic team, America and its allies have largely seized territories the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had controlled. The Syrian Army and its allies also took back territory, including the long-time stronghold of Deir Zour. ISIS has not gone away entirely, but compared to even 12 months ago…

The explosion in the study of both Mediterranean and Atlantic history, not to mention the history of other seas and oceans, has left one important issue unresolved. What is the relationship between the bodies of water that flow into one another? The links between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic have been largely neglected. Barry Cunliffe’s latest addition to his beautiful collection of volumes about early Europe and the seas around it is, therefore, very welcome. Even if it reprises themes from earlier books, notably his Facing the Ocean, the extension of his argument into the Mediterranean enables him to present a…