It is a welcome sign that the rebels are making advances in Syria's north. But the U.S., together with its Arab allies, should do more to prevent such gains from being reversed, argues Lionel Beehner.

Lionel Beehner on America's 'Holiday from History' in Africa under President Obama.

Dictatorships are alive and well. As Putin's Russia demonstrates, their banality has changed remarkably little over the ages, writes Lionel Beehner.

Lionel Beehner looks at whether a "freeze" can work in Syria. The empirical evidence paints a bleak picture.

Lionel Beehner asks why we take the military solution off the table when it comes to countries like Russia, but turn to it first when it comes to groups such as ISIS.

Lionel Beehner debunks the myth that territorial safe havens are necessary for terrorists to plan and carry out attacks.

Lionel Beehner worries that the "Je suis Charlie" solidarity mirrors the aftermath of 9/11, which gave rise to two needless wars. Maybe to prevent such hubris, we need less unity and more divisiveness.

Lionel Beehner argues that an alliance of strange bedfellows against groups like ISIS may actually be helpful in the long-term to prevent countries from shirking or contributing only token support.