Kim R. Holmes

HOLMES: Ignoring arms-control history carries a cost

Those following the debate over the New START treaty inked by Presidents Obama and Medvedev in April know that both governments dispute what it means. Russia says it'll impose real restrictions on U.S. missile defenses. U.S. officials brush off those claims.

August 18, 2010

HOLMES: The United States’ ‘choice’ on the Afghan war

In Afghanistan, the cost of losing is far worse than fighting on to victory.

August 4, 2010

HOLMES: A better way to arms control

Supporters of the New START treaty want you to believe that 1.) All who oppose it are nuke-loving troglodytes; and 2.) Its an "all or nothing" deal, the only way to a world without nuclear weapons.

July 21, 2010

HOLMES: A treaty that actually helps us and our allies

Britain's new defense secretary, Liam Fox, came to town last week. And he had a bone to pick with the leadership in the White House and Congress.

July 7, 2010

HOLMES: If Russia looked in mirror, it’d see a Cold War thinker

Russia often accuses the United States and NATO of still harboring Cold War prejudices. In February, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, "Cold War stereotypes remain strong in Euro-Atlantic policies, and NATO is continuing its expansion." He accused NATO of global ambitions and implied its out-of-area operations in places like Afghanistan violate the U.N. Charter.

June 23, 2010

HOLMES: On the road to re-Carterizing America

Twice in modern U.S. history, irresponsible foreign policies have invited huge and costly disasters.

June 9, 2010

HOLMES: New START negotiations: Show us the records!

The Obama administration's drive to win Senate approval of the New START arms treaty with Russia has hit a speed bump. Several senators are asking to see the secret negotiating record from the administration's official talks with Russia.

May 26, 2010

HOLMES: The Times Square bomb plot: Success or failure?

Was the Times Square bombing attempt a "system failure"?

May 13, 2010

HOLMES: In search of an Obama doctrine

Signature foreign policies often define presidencies. For Ronald Reagan, it was standing up to communism and advocating "peace through strength." For Bill Clinton, it was sponsoring humanitarian interventions in the former Yugoslavia. For George W. Bush, it was promoting global freedom and using pre-emptive force and other tough measures to prosecute the war on terrorism.

April 29, 2010

HOLMES: Obama’s nuclear policies are troubling

President Obama's nuclear-weapons policy is finally taking shape. We now have the text of his "New START" treaty with Russia, the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) and statements on fissile materials at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.

April 15, 2010

HOLMES: Crashing Obama’s nuclear wedding

Raising concerns about a new nuclear arms treaty is considered declasse. It's about as welcome as a wedding crasher who questions the groom's choice of a bride.

April 1, 2010

HOLMES: No ‘silver bullets’ on Iran

Washington craves a "quick fix" for Iran. Some hope tougher sanctions will stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Others, lacking faith in sanctions, want to bomb Iran.

March 18, 2010

HOLMES: Europe wakes from its Obama dream

Many Europeans cheered when Barack Obama was elected president. Disdain for his predecessor ran so high that, even in Britain, pollsters found that George W. Bush was considered a greater threat to peace than Kim Jong-il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Only Osama bin Laden outpolled him.

March 4, 2010

HOLMES: Who links terrorism to Islam? Not America

The Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security created quite a stir last week. Their reports on terrorism failed to make any reference to the Islamist nature of the threat. It struck Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican, as a "glaring omission." It was.

February 19, 2010

HOLMES: When China rules the world? Sorry, not likely

There's lots of loose talk these days about how China will some day "rule the world." Some people who look forward to a "post-American world" seem to assume that China will either emerge as a great power equal to the United States or take on sole outright leadership of the world.

February 4, 2010

HOLMES: As economic freedom declines, so does prosperity

Governments often make poor policy decisions. And all too often, they then fervently cling to these mistakes, compounding the error. Unfortunately, the U.S. is no exception.

January 21, 2010

HOLMES: Response to airliner attack is legal theater of the absurd

Rarely is the absurdity of a policy completely unmasked in a single statement. But it happened last Sunday when John O. Brennan announced that Nigerian terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had been "talking to people who detained him," but now "doesn't have to" because he has a public defender and will be tried in a civilian court.

January 7, 2010

HOLMES: Utopian new left just like old left

How did the European left rationalize communism's crimes and transform itself into a viable political force after the fall of the Soviet Union? It's all explained in "Last Exit to Utopia: The Survival of Socialism in a Post-Soviet Era."

December 24, 2009

HOLMES: Behind Obama’s overseas allure

President Obama's popularity abroad is already the stuff of legend. His December trip to Norway to collect the Nobel Peace Prize will doubtless spark a new round of stories about how he turned around negative opinions of America.

November 26, 2009

HOLMES: Miscalculating engagement

Direct diplomatic outreach to America's foes and rivals defines President Obama's foreign policy. It underpins everything from "resetting" relations with Russia to making concessions to Iran. It's intended to distinguish Mr. Obama from his unpopular predecessor, thereby garnering more support from friends and allies for U.S. policies.

November 12, 2009