Not even a year after South Sudan’s independence from Sudan, the world’s newest country is already on the brink of war with its longtime foe. Last week, South Sudanese troops (otherwise known as the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, or SPLA) occupied the oil-rich town of Heglig in Sudan—host to the Greater Nile Oil Pipeline, vital to Sudan’s oil exports. However, South Sudan claims that the land, otherwise known as “Panthou,” is part of its territory. Following international condemnation, the government of South Sudan withdrew SPLA forces from Heglig on Friday … More
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By Malou Innocent
For years, my colleagues and I have been arguing that disrupting, dismantling, and defeating al Qaeda does not require the occupation of Afghanistan or anywhere else. Wars are incredibly wasteful and counterproductive to the goal of stopping terrorism. Would-be terrorists, moreover, have reduced their dependence on “base camps” and “physical havens” because they can plan, organize, and train from [...]
“…the American homeland is the planet” is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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World War I had killed millions, and in its aftermath, the great nations of the world were in an arms race that was alarming and unprecedented. As international tensions rose, disarmament was regarded as the most effective way to curtail the potential outbreak of another large-scale war. The Secretary of State called leaders of the major world powers to Washington, D.C., to discuss multilateral weapons reductions. Through a number of security agreements that obligated the five nations involved to participate in arms limitations programs, the participating nations might avoid another … More
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By Malou Innocent
In case you haven’t heard, the war in Afghanistan is in a tailspin. Following the turbulent events of the past two weeks—including yesterday’s incident on a Helmand runway and the disarming of U.S. Marines before Defense Secretary Leon Panetta—Afghan president Hamid Karzai has demanded U.S. troops withdraw from villages and operate only from large NATO [...]
Americans Favor Accelerated Withdrawal from Afghanistan is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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By Malou Innocent
In an op-ed in today’s New York Daily News, my co-author Jonathan Owen and I argue that damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities from limited strikes would be modest, and likely require further strikes every few years or a long-term occupation on the ground. The better option at present is for the Obama administration to show [...]
Bombing Iran Risks Mission Creep is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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By Benjamin H. Friedman
Along with Chares Knight of the Project on Defense Alternatives, I have just published commentary on the National Interest’s website about President’s Obama’s proposed $450 billion nine-year cap on war spending. We argue that a war cap—better yet a war tax—is a good idea, but this particular proposal is nearly useless. For one, it is [...]
Obama’s War Spending Cap is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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Secretary Panetta’s announcement that the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan will end as early as mid-2013 is a positive development. But it is long overdue and still leaves too many questions unanswered. After more than ten years of war in Afghanistan, the administration should follow through on its commitment to end combat operations and withdraw [...]
On Afghanistan, Panetta Leaves Questions Unanswered is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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By Christopher Preble
The GOP presidential candidates will participate in yet another debate tonight from South Carolina in anticipation of the primary there on Saturday. I hope that the moderator, CNN’s John King, will bring up some of the major national security issues at hand, namely military spending. Out of all the GOP contenders, it is clear that [...]
Tonight on Stossel: Ron Paul, War, and Military Spending is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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By Tim Lynch
Here are two newspaper accounts about the conclusion of the Iraq war: The New York Times: “Almost nine years after the first American tanks began massing on the Iraq border, the Pentagon declared an official end to its mission here, closing a troubled conflict that helped reshape American politics and left a bitter legacy of [...]
The Iraq War: 20 Years, Not 9 is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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