Ben Rhodes

An American Reckoning

Robert McNamara’s failure to reckon with the exceptionalism that led the United States into the Vietnam War contributed to fifty years of foreign policy failures. It can help us understand the crisis facing American democracy today.

Gaza, Israel, and the American Left: October 7 One Year Later

American Descent

Donald Trump and right-wing strongmen like him around the world are using grievance-based nationalism to gain power. When does this sort of populism tip into fascism?

Gaza: The Cost of Escalation

The consequences of the US’s vengeful reaction to September 11 should remind us of the risks of responding to violence with greater violence.