author archive
Dean of the Realists
Owen Harries was Irving Kristol’s friend—and neoconservatism’s foe.
Tom Switzer
November 23, 2015
Keep the Aussies Out of Iraq
Taking the terrorists' bait to re-enter Mesopotamia is neither in America's interests nor its Anglophone ally's.
Tom Switzer
March 5, 2015
Don’t Isolate Russia
Disasters like MH17 could recur if Washington can't understand Putin's interests.
Tom Switzer
July 28, 2014
Putin’s Side of History
Russia's recent actions don't herald a new Cold War, but a return to great power realism.
Tom Switzer
March 5, 2014
Three Realist Lessons From Obama’s Syria Missteps
Whether the deal to dismantle Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles is enforceable and verifiable is an open question. But what…
Tom Switzer
September 26, 2013
‘Fawlty Towers’ in Mesopotamia
The war left Iraq bloody, unstable, and under Iranian influence. But otherwise OK.
Tom Switzer
March 19, 2013
Baghdad Isn’t Berli
Free elections and popular power entail grave risks for the Middle East.
Tom Switzer
May 23, 2005