I don’t, as a rule, endorse political candidates. I don’t do work for campaigns. I have never given a dime to a candidate—for any office. I have never signed up to be an adviser to one either.

The impetus for John Kerry’s “cessation of hostilities” deal is easy to understand: According to the United Nations, 450,000 Syrians are under siege in 15 locations, and another 4 million are in hard-to-reach areas. The administration’s humanitarian concerns do them credit. But sometimes the best humanitarian contribution is success on the battlefield.

How the radical Islamist group fits into the broader history of terrorism.

The most noticeable trend under the leadership of Xi Jinping since the 2012 National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been the continuing consolidation of power. In particular, the military has been a key arena in which Xi has strengthened both his personal power and his new administration’s authority.