Edited by Andrew Leber A non-systematically-compiled of thought-provoking left/progressive foreign policy writing and conversations over the course of 2022. No doubt there’s plenty we’ve missed — for a fun end-of-the-year exercise, tell us what we should have included on the platform of your choice (or leave a comment below). See you all on the other side of the calendar! Places & Policies David Klion. “What Should the Left Do About China?” The Nation, January 2022 A deep reporting dive into left/progressive policy ideas for US relations with China. Kate Alexander. “A Case for Unfreezing ..read more

By Andrew Leber Last Friday, the Biden administration made headlines with an executive order (E.O.) concerning $7 billion in Afghan central bank funds held in the United States: aiming to transfer half the amount to a fund for humanitarian aid while keeping the other half frozen in place to face lawsuits against the Taliban by relatives of victims of the 9/11 terrorism attacks.  Much as the E.O. claims to “address the humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan,” it does so by means that are too slow and slapdash to address the present crisis, while affirming what amounts to theft of ..read more

By David Sterman In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the United States government embarked on what it framed as a war on terror made up of a number of specific wars that fall under the broader global ambit of the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force. Ever since, Americans have struggled to name and define the peculiar character of this open-ended war. In some cases, this character is evoked via the phrase “endless war.” In other cases, people have adopted the phrase “forever war.” And some commentators have denied that such names convey anything meaningful about the United States ..read more

by Andrew Leber Two decades have passed since the terrorist attacks that ultimately took the lives of 2,605 U.S. citizens and 372 citizens of other nationalities at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on United Airlines Flight 93. This weekend, memorial services across the United States honored the memory of the thousands killed on 9/11, including hundreds of first responders in New York City, and the deaths of thousands of US service-members in the wars that followed. This weekend also marks a time to reckon with the U.S. foreign policy choices that led to those wars.  A military c ..read more