United States Department of the Fourth Estate Washington, D.C. 20590 ACTION MEMORANDUMDecember 6, 2005TO: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Steve HadleyFROM: Lawrence Korb and Peter OgdenSUBJECT: Winning Congressional Support for the “Global Partnership” with IndiaSince 9/11, Congress has exerted little influence on major Bush Administration foreign policy initiatives and defense spending […]

No pop-culture artifact says “America” better than the pinball machine.

To eat well in Britain, Somerset Maugham observed in those imperial days before Indian and Chinese restaurants and Elizabeth David and designer chefs had contrived to transform the culinary habits of a nation, it was necessary to eat breakfast three times a day. And what breakfasts they were, the sizzling bacon and the plump sausages, […]

My friends are much too ironic and cliché-averse ever to ask me in earnest if I want to “do lunch.” I’m not sure how long ago the phrase “Let’s do lunch” came into currency, but it seems now to have the standing of one of those empty little lies, like “Have a nice day”, that […]

Being a club man, I rarely go to dinner parties in private homes because they have no menu. That’s not true. Yes, I do enjoy an epicurean menu, but I also enjoy the company of friends in their home. I suppose I am embarrassed by home invitations because, having lived at the club for so […]

Letters from Robert Stavins, S. Fred Singer, Ian Parry, Senator Joseph Lieberman and Roger Carstens

The dominant Protestant worldview of American society shapes U.S. foreign policy–and always has.

A long-forgotten Korean War POW debacle sheds light on the perils of military detention.

The American moment is ending as power shifts to Asia and other climes. A new global concert must be built.

The United States needs to broaden the way it approaches public diplomacy. Promoting democracy around the world, improving our image among the citizens of lower-income countries, and winning the Global War on Terror require a vigorous and creative effort, and I believe that a focused plan that combines diplomacy with public health can help us […]