“The president’s State of the Union Address ends where his Second Inaugural Address began: the question of American civic identity” and, for religious citizens, “a view of democracy as an ongoing contest over sacred values.” More →

February 15, 2013

The United States has decided not to act unilaterally to protect rebellious Syrian communities from the atrocities of the Syrian military. By the time the international community organizes to take remedial action against Syria’s armed forces, the regime’s tyrannical oppression … More →

March 14, 2012

“By nursing our admiration for our military’s virtues, President Obama suggests, we can transform our beleaguered democracy into a more cohesive and mission-focused political community.” More →

January 25, 2012

“If Libya is not clearly distinguished by extraordinary violence, then the president’s claim that protecting civilians is the primary purpose of intervening in Libya is very weak indeed.” More →

March 29, 2011

“As Americans now endeavor to ‘turn the page,’ we must determine whether the irrevocable past will endure like a nightmare in our efforts at world leadership or whether we will be capable of the repentance, reformation, and simple good-neighborliness that will be necessary to restore those nonmilitary aspects of our power.” More →

September 2, 2010

In Afghanistan, observes Georgetown University professor John Langan, “we are forced to fight in cautious and disagreeable ways” and “we never get very far from the possibility of tragedy.” More →

November 23, 2009