AFF's Doublethink

As NATO meets for its 60th anniversary in Strasbourg-Kehl this weekend, it has a lot on its plate: war-fighting, peacekeeping, piracy, and more. But the problem for today’s NATO lies not in taking on new missions; it lies in carrying them out effectively.

On the eve of what might be called “The Afghan Surge,” NATO is preparing to open new supply routes to support its increasingly precarious mission in Afghanistan. With the U.S. deploying up to 30,000 more troops into the war-torn country this year—and routes through Pakistan under attack—clearing these new supply arteries couldn’t come at a [...]

Change was the touchstone of President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign, and his promise to make a clean break from the Bush administration fueled his success in the Democratic primaries. But if history is any guide, Democrats, the world and Obama himself are likely to be disappointed by the gap between what Washington wants to do and what it has to do.

With wars, famines, plagues and even pirates besetting Africa, the continent desperately needs the world’s help. Although it hasn’t gotten much attention—or praise—for its efforts, the U.S. has been providing lots of help in recent years. In fact, for all its flaws, the beleaguered Bush administration deserves credit for elevating Africa to more than a foreign policy footnote.

As it stands now, NASA will retire the remaining Space Shuttles—Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis—sometime in 2010 in order to make way for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and a launch vehicle known as Ares I. By shutting down the Shuttle program, NASA will be able to divert precious economic, human and material resources to the CEV program. But there are problems with this.

John McCain is on the ropes. He needs another “game changer” to win the election—something as bold and unexpected as the Sarah Palin pick. Here it is.

Moscow has sent a message: Russia will do what it wants, when it wants, to the unfortunate countries on its borderlands. Here are several options for avoiding mixed signals while sending them a message of our own.

Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is behind bars at the Hague. But given the luxurious accommodations, can it really be said that justice is being served?