international relations

Stronger Global Governance is the Only Way to a World Free of Nuclear Weapons

by Lawrence Wittner

The war in Ukraine and escalating tensions between the PRC and Taiwan are just two examples of the resurgent danger of nuclear war. A revived movement for true international governance is needed to ensure that the unthinkable becomes impossible. 

China is Cutting the US Out of the Middle East with an Axis of the Sanctioned

by Juan Cole

Recent American policies have squandered an opportunity to engage poductively with Iran and Saudi Arabia and instead pushed them toward stronger economic development relationships with China. 

Chad Williams on W.E.B. DuBois and the First World War

Michelle Moyd and David W. Blight comment on Chad Williams's discussion of DuBois's unfinished manuscript about the deep questions of race, democracy, and world affairs raised by the first World War. 

The Liberal Order Can't Defend Itself by Repeating History

by Peter Trubowitz and Brian Burgoon

Political leaders hoping to defend the liberal international order often invoke the Cold War idea of nations joining forces against the threat of Communism. They forget the lesson that western industrial nations built a sense of shared purpose around expanded democracy and domestic social security. 

How to End the War in Ukraine and Build Peace

by Michael Brenes

"The foundation of a progressive foreign policy, in my view, entails providing material support to countries suffering from deprivation and aggression in multiple forms—with such assistance reflecting the security and democratic interests of the United States and its people."

The Path from Isolated Nationalism to Global Citizenship is Hard but Necessary

by Lawrence Wittner

International organizations and social movements have pointed the way to a future in which national boundaries do not interfere with the ability of humanity to survive and solve global problems like climate, hunger, and the threat of annihilatory war. 

Do Subtle Shifts in China's References to Divided Korea Signal Pragmatism on Taiwan?

by Hu Ping and Perry Link

In seeking to navigate Beijing's seeming intransigence on recognizing Taiwan, the United States can look to the PRC's subtle shift in rhetoric: it has stopped including divided Korea as a comparison to an unacceptable "two China" policy and categorized it as "one country, two governments," suggesting steps toward pragmatic acceptance. 

O'Hanlon: Policymakers Need to Know More History

by James Thornton Harris

"Studying war in this way should humble us about our ability to control and contain it in the future," says the Brookings Institution scholar, who urges security policymakers to read as much history as they can. 

The "Madman Theory" Was Quintessential Nixon

by Zachary Jonathan Jacobson

Richard Nixon's famed foreign policy ruse—encouraging adversaries to think him capable of seemingly insane decisions—had one essential component: Nixon himself, and his commitment to the tightrope-walking performance. 

Iraq Discredited Liberal Interventionists. Why are they Still in Charge?

by Daniel Bessner

"War for oil" explains only part of the push to invade Iraq in 2003; the ideological belief that American militarism serves a noble and righteous cause appealed to many liberals. That general belief has been frustratingly immune to 20 years of exposure of facts about the falsehoods that sold the war. 

Ignoring International Relations Scholars is Leading the US to Mistakes on Ukraine

by Max Abrahms

Punditry on the Ukraine-Russia war ignores a host of scholarship on international relations that suggests Russian apprehension about NATO is a legitimate influence on Putin's actions, and not just an excuse for aggression. 

Whose "Red Lines"?

by Lawrence Wittner

Far from promoting clarity and stability, when powerful nations declare "red lines" in their dealings with the world they declare their intentions to impose their will on others. Peace-promoting red lines must be drawn by more robust international cooperation. 

America Remains Trapped by the Dream of Global Hegemony

by Andrew Bacevich

American victory in World War II remains a source of dangerous myths and delusions about global supremacy. Both popular culture and foreign policy need to adopt the Iraq War as a less affirming, but more realistic, touchstone. 

Review: Can Robert Kagan Reboot Interventionism?

by Samuel Moyn

"All along, not much ever separated neocons such as Kagan from a nationalist such as Trump, except the pretense that what is good for the United States, including all its war-making, is good for the world." But does the public buy it? 

Can the Ukraine Crisis Push the UN To the Reforms it Needs to Remain Relevant?

by Gary B. Ostrower

The United Nations' power to prevent war has long been subordinated to the protection of traditional national sovereignty. Will instability push the powerful nations on the Security Council to accept change? 

On Ukraine, International Law is Against Russia—But to What Consequence?

by Lawrence Wittner

If the United Nations can define the rules of international relations, but sufficiently powerful nations can flout them without consequence, it's time for a change in global governance. 

Do Sanctions on Russia Portend a Return to the Interwar Order of Trade Blocs?

by Carl J. Strikwerda

The economic response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised the specter of a new Cold War. But a better—and scarier—analogy might be the drastic contraction of global trade and the rise of colonial and imperial trade blocs between the World Wars. 

The Ghosts of Kennan and Lessons of the Cold War

by Frederik Logevall

George Kennan was instrumental in defining the doctrine of containment, but later objected to the bellicosity undertaken in its name. Key parts of his intellectual journey have remained obscure; a new book tries to examine them and draw lessons for foreign policy today. 

The Redistributive Agenda of the New International Economic Order, and How the IMF Thwarted It

by Sarah Babb

Henry Kissinger responded diplomatically to demands from Third World nations for changes in trade and investment rules to alleviate inequality with a pragmatic approach that recognized inequality as a major issue, but prevented poor nations from forming a united front or organizing around their more radical demands. 

Gaddis Smith, 89: Legacy of Teaching and Modernizing at Yale

"Dr. Smith was a Yale institution. He arrived on campus as a freshman in 1950, received his doctorate from the university in 1961, and, aside from a short teaching stint at Duke, never left."