Obama’s Former Middle East Adviser: We Should Have Bombed Assad

Philip Gordon says the administration did just enough in Syria to perpetuate the conflict without resolving it.

Obama Promised to End America’s Wars—Has He?

The president’s military record, by the numbers

In Praise of Political Reporters

Last night, President Obama gave the keynote lecture at an annual dinner to honor excellence in political reporting.…

Obama on What Trump and Cruz Get Wrong About Islam

The struggle against jihadist terrorism isn’t the same as the struggle against communism—and it’s dangerous to conflate them.

Are European Countries Really ‘Free Riders’?

Obama’s recent comments on the trans-Atlantic alliance neglect what it has achieved recently—and what it still needs to do.

How Obama Views the Men and Women Who (Also) Rule the World

A rough guide to the president’s relationships with other leaders

Is Obama a Hadrian or a Jovian?

A previous reader—the attorney who used to work for a Republican senator—crafted a comprehensive case against Obama’s foreign policy record…

The Obama Doctrine, Cont'd

Jeff ventured into The Facebook today for a live discussion with Uri over his new cover story, pondering deep…

'No, Mr. Obama, We Are Not the Free Riders'

President Obama’s use of the term “free riders” in Jeffrey Goldberg’s cover story to describe some U.S. allies has prompted…

Obama Confronts the Joker of the Middle East, Cont'd

Responding to my note about the ISIS/Joker analogy from Obama’s interview with Jeff, a reader analyzed a…

The Obama Administration's Drone-Strike Dissembling

Debunking John Brennan’s claim that “the president requires near-certainty of no collateral damage” to allow a drone killing to go forward.

Why Credibility Matters

It’s not just a Washington fetish, as Obama suggests.

The Disappointment of Barack Obama, Cont'd

My colleague Chris passed along several reader criticisms to my piece on the “The Obama Doctrine,” and my…

Obama: Fighting Wars He Believes Unwinnable

What’s behind the president’s inaction?

Barack Obama’s Revolution in Foreign Policy

When you think you’re the smartest person in the room, it’s tempting to make up your own grand strategy.

The End of the U.S.-Dominated Order in the Middle East

Obama has prioritized global goals over regional ones.

The Slipperiest Slope of Them All

An American president who rejected the notion of a “global war on terror” has now launched one.

So About That Special Relationship ...

President Obama’s comments about Britain and Prime Minister David Cameron in Jeffrey Goldberg’s cover story are dominating headlines in the…

How to Get the President to Open Up

Jeffrey Goldberg on Obama’s on-the-record bluntness in The Atlantic’s April 2016 cover story

How Russia Saw the ‘Red Line’ Crisis

Did Obama’s refusal to strike Syria really give Putin the green light in Ukraine?

How Iraq Warped Obama’s Worldview

The president is certain he’s right. Is that what we want in a leader?

The Middle East Is Unraveling—and Obama Offers Words

An accounting of the president’s actions and inactions

Obama Confronts the Joker of the Middle East, Cont'd

Responding to my earlier note, reader David Ferguson mines The Dark Knight for more insight into ISIS…

The Disappointment of Barack Obama

He admits one major mistake: not making sufficient allowances for how unreasonable other people are.

Obama’s Biggest Gamble

Hint: It doesn’t involve Syria.

Obama Is Not a Realist

He’s an isolationist with drones and special-operations forces.

One President’s Stand Against the Washington Herd

Obama is seeking to redefine “strength” and “power.”

Ben Rhodes Explains Where Obama Stands on Cuba

The Deputy National-Security Advisor speaks about the United States’ new ties with Cuba and its impact on American foreign policy.

Obama Confronts the Joker of the Middle East

Barack Obama’s analogies for the Islamic State have come a long way in the last couple of years. In a…

How the Kobayashi Maru Explains Obama's Foreign Policy

My colleague Jeffrey Goldberg’s cover story will serve as a Rosetta Stone for scholars and analysts trying to decode President…

Obama's 'Red Line' That Wasn't

Inside the president’s last-minute decision not to bomb Syria in 2013

Obama on the World

How the president thinks about foreign policy, in his own words

Portrait of a Presidential Mind

Reflections on Jeffrey Goldberg’s interview with President Obama and our April issue