Opinion

When the United States toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, Washington hoped to help build a democratic Iraq that could become a stable partner in the Middle East. Instead, over the past two decades, Iraq’s political system gradually evolved into something far more complex — a state whose most powerful political actors, security networks, and institutions […]

In the aftermath of an ISIS-inspired attack in New York City, it wasn’t just CNN that became the target of widespread scorn. As CNN’s report of the would-be terrorist bombing focused on the weather and the alleged perpetrators, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was also lambasted for beginning his address by focusing on Islamophobia. […]

Our nation’s capital is one of the most expensive places in the country to live, especially for entry-level workers. A legislative staffer or policy analyst in their late 20s earns roughly $58,000 a year, yet median rents in the district routinely exceed $2,300 per month — nearly half their income. Add in the rising cost of groceries, tens […]

The efficiency and destructiveness of the United States’s military so far in the Iran campaign have been historic, and the bravery and professionalism of the people at the tip of the spear are awe-inspiring. However, it’s also worth remembering that the shaft of that spear is long and comprised of thousands of essential workers, not all of them in […]

Technology is disrupting the U.S. banking industry. Cryptocurrency firms are trying to compete directly with America’s largest banks in pursuit of the financial assets of the country’s households and businesses. But the crypto firms that want to collect customer deposits do not want to be subject to the capital requirements and banking regulations that govern America’s biggest banks. […]

Wars used to announce themselves with troop movements, air-raid sirens, and closed skies. Today, the opening move is often invisible. By the time physical conflict begins, the digital battlefield has already been shaped. Modern warfare often begins when adversaries quietly penetrate digital systems such as traffic cameras, mobile phones, logistics networks, and data platforms.  As […]

Unrelated events in recent days demonstrate conclusively that Jimmy Carter was the nation’s worst president, even worse than Joe Biden, who only pretended to be president. Carter was actually running the show in the late 1970s, and he made a mess of things. First, although most commentators acknowledge that today’s events in Iran began in […]

Partly because of the mass deportation of, and self-deportation by, illegal immigrants, rents are falling in most markets across the country. This is a good thing, but most people don’t dream of renting; they dream of owning a home. It has never been more difficult for young people to buy their first home and get […]

As Donald Trump’s Republicans look askance as he launches what looks to some like another long-term war in the Middle East, and as the anti-Trump Democrats hold up Homeland Security funding in what looks to some like prioritizing illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens, one is tempted to ask, what’s going on with America’s political parties?  […]