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President Barack Obama chats with Afghan President Hamid Karzai during the start of a dinner at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 28, 2010.

Which Is More Corrupt: Afghanistan or America?

Michael Hirsh | May 21, 2013
Karzai cash payments highlight a growing friction as Afghans blame NATO for their poor reputation.
U.S. Marine in Afghanistan

How the Afghan Conflict Will Be Decided

Michael Hirsh | May 16, 2013
A horrific week for U.S. casualties reaffirms President Obama’s rush to rely on the Afghan army. But can they handle it?

National Journal’s Hotline Gets an Upgrade and Redesign

May 14, 2013
National Journal has fully redesigned The Hotlinewith a brand new look, a user-friendly interface, and powerful political tracking tools. Subscribers will continue to enjoy The Hotline editors' irreverent and comprehensive look at political developments from across the country, presented alongside campaign news links from around the web, race-by-race polling data and demographic metrics in partnership with OhMyGov, a media monitoring and political analysis research firm.  
afghan

NATO’s Plan for Afghanistan Post-2014: A ‘Stable Instability’

Michael Hirsh | May 13, 2013
U.S., allies are talking about commitments through 2018 and beyond, says top commander.
Syria

Iraq and Libya Haunt Obama's Syria Policy

Michael Hirsh | May 2, 2013
Weighed down by memories of Iraq and Libya, the president stands his ground.
Mike Froman

What You Need to Know About Obama's Trade Pick Mike Froman

Matt Vasilogambros | May 1, 2013
President Obama nominated one of his top national security advisers, Mike Froman, as the next U.S. trade representative on Thursday. Froman would replace Ron Kirk, who stepped down last month.
Obama

Obama Appears at a Loss to Define the Way Forward in Syria

Major Garrett | April 30, 2013
The fuzzy red lines and rhetoric blur what comes next.
Sen. Bob Corker

Bob Corker Charts Leadership Course

Stacy Kaper | April 22, 2013
Sen. Bob Corker's independent voice on high-profile issues and scholarly devotion to studying policies he is interested in have made GOP leaders take notice of him and want to keep the Tennessee Republican close at hand — both to capitalize on his expertise and to watch his moves.
Belogolova family

Why Washington and Moscow Still Don't Trust Each Other

Olga Belogolova | April 4, 2013
I left the USSR in 1991. Going back showed that Cold War stereotypes don’t fade—even with time.
Syria

Behind Obama’s Big 'No!' on Syria

Michael Hirsh | March 20, 2013
Despite terrible bloodshed and the risks of a wider war, the president is barely moving. Here’s why.
New housing developments

How Personal Finance Can Help You Think About the Federal Budget

Niraj Chokshi | March 14, 2013
It may be an imperfect analogy, but that doesn’t mean that household financial planning can’t be a helpful way to understand this week's federal-budget fight.
Penny Pritzker

Four Things to Know About Penny Pritzker, a Billionaire and Obama's Commerce Secretary Pick

Matt Vasilogambros | March 6, 2013
President Obama nominated Chicago mogul and longtime friend Penny Pritzker for Commerce secretary. Here’s what you need to know about her.

Rumors Over Food Aid Spark Controversy Among Groups Fighting World Hunger

Jerry Hagstrom | February 27, 2013
There is no nobler cause than feeding hungry people in poor countries and helping them develop their own farms so they can produce more of their own food.

Insiders: Yes, Sequestration Will Really Hurt U.S. National Security

Sara Sorcher | February 22, 2013
Insiders also support arming Syria's rebels.
smokey bear

The Good Side of Sequestration

Matthew Cooper | February 20, 2013
The cuts are painful but will at least teach a lesson in what government does and why we shouldn't demonize it.
Hagel

Chuck Hagel, Strategic Thinker

Michael Hirsh | February 19, 2013
It looks awfully likely that Chuck Hagel will squeak through confirmation as President Obama's Defense secretary. But it is also likely that he'll enter the Pentagon a damaged figure, a nominee tainted by the lingering impression that he is not ready to handle the vast complexities of a defense budget slated for slashing.
John Boehner

How the Vote Ratings Are Calculated

February 19, 2013
National Journal examined all of the roll-call votes in the second session of the 112th Congress and identified the ones that show ideological distinctions between members.
Rand Paul

Why Rand Paul Is Marco Rubio's Biggest Political Threat

Michael Catalini | February 12, 2013
Paul is acting like he’s already preparing a future presidential campaign, courting activists from early-primary states, smoothing out his positions on foreign policy, and delivering a high-profile national address, competing against a potential future GOP rival, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
Egypt

With Violence Escalating, Could the Military Intervene in Egypt?

Steven A. Cook and Council on Foreign Relations | January 31, 2013
Little more than two years ago, most thought Hosni Mubarak's rule in Egypt was stable. Never did anyone think a popular uprising would bring him down. It may be hard to contemplate another military intervention, but never say never.
Denis McDonough

A Guide to Obama's Staff Reshuffling

Caren Bohan | January 25, 2013
President Obama will tap Denis McDonough, a trusted longtime aide steeped in foreign policy and Capitol Hill experience, as his new chief of staff. Obama will announce the decision on Friday at 12:10 p.m. along with several other White House staff changes. The reshuffling is in keeping with Obama's management style of relying heavily on a tight inner circle of aides in his decision-making. Here is a look at the changes.
Afghans burn an effigy depicting U.S. President Barack Obama

Obama to World: Drop Dead

Michael Hirsh | January 22, 2013
In a speech devoid of foreign commitments, the president tells the world to keep away.
US-Mexico Border

Mayors Preview Immigration-Reform Fight

Niraj Chokshi | January 17, 2013
If a gathering of mayors Thursday is any indication, the administration can expect to hear from dissatisfied officials as it tackles immigration reform.
Morsi

Why Morsi’s Comments Are Irrelevant to Mideast Peace

Michael Hirsh | January 16, 2013
The reflexive response of many in the pro-Israel community to anti-Semitic comments from Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was predictable: See? Didn’t we tell you? This just shows how impossible it is to deal with these people. Whatever hopes that Secretary of State-to-be John Kerry had for restarting peace talks in a region he has long had a passion for—the Mideast—will not likely be realized, at least with Morsi playing the broker. But that may be an overreaction.  
Tea Party protest

The Republican Identity Crisis

Josh Kraushaar | January 9, 2013
The Republican Party could very well split into two by the 2016 presidential election, if it can't figure out what it stands for.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS - Reinventing Iraq

March 22, 2003
A country called Iraq has existed only since 1919. But some cities in that land were already 16 centuries old when the nearby Egyptians built their pyramids. Bureaucrats in Mesopotamia, as the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers was known, began keeping written records in 3400 B.C. And despite three decades of political repression, economic mismanagement, and military disaster under Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, Iraq today-unlike Afghanistan in 2001, Yugoslavia in 1995, and Germany in 1945-is not a "failed state." (See "Occupational Hazards," this issue.) From food-distribution systems to local police forces, essential institutions and infrastructures have survived Saddam, albeit barely, and they will survive a war that successfully ousts him. So the good news is that Iraq will not have to start over from scratch. Unfortunately, the bad news is also that Iraq will not be able to start over from scratch.
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