Peter Van Buren

Peter Van Buren spent a year in Iraq as a State Department Foreign Service Officer serving as Team Leader for two Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). Now in Washington, he writes about Iraq and the Middle East at his blog, We Meant Well. His first book, We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People, was published in 2011, and his second book, Ghosts of Tom Joad: A Story of the #99Percent, was published in 2014. His newest book, Hooper’s War: A Novel of WWII Japan, has just been published.

Soldiers Mourn

Who Pays the Moral Price of War? Who Pays the Moral Price of War?

Our desire for never-ending intervention overseas causes never-ending pain for our troops.

May 18, 2017 / Peter Van Buren

Richard Spencer Texas A&M

Why It’s Not OK to Punch a Neo-Nazi in the Face Why It’s Not OK to Punch a Neo-Nazi in the Face

A reply to Natasha Lennard: White-supremacist Richard Spencer is odious, but bashing him in the head is not the solution.

Jan 24, 2017 / Peter Van Buren

Grand Central National Guard

Dear Daughter: I’m Sorry for Helping Create the Post-9/11 World You Have to Grow Up In Dear Daughter: I’m Sorry for Helping Create the Post-9/11 World You Have to Grow Up In

Sending your child off to college is hard enough without the constant fear of terror that looms over us.

Sep 19, 2016 / Peter Van Buren

US Marines in Afghanistan

How Long Does an American Military Promise Last? As Long As a Snapchat. How Long Does an American Military Promise Last? As Long As a Snapchat.

We can’t seem to remember our recent history for long enough to stop making the same mistakes over and over again.

May 16, 2016 / Peter Van Buren

The 5 Questions You Won’t Hear Asked at Any Presidential Debate

The 5 Questions You Won’t Hear Asked at Any Presidential Debate The 5 Questions You Won’t Hear Asked at Any Presidential Debate

Unless we address these long-standing foreign policy questions, we’ll continue playing international whack-a-mole for the next four years.

Mar 17, 2016 / Peter Van Buren

Walmart in Richmond, Virginia

Walmart Wages Are the Main Reason People Depend on Food Stamps Walmart Wages Are the Main Reason People Depend on Food Stamps

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a means of survival for families earning minimum wage.

Feb 16, 2016 / Peter Van Buren

Washington to Whomever: Please Fight the Islamic State for Us

Washington to Whomever: Please Fight the Islamic State for Us Washington to Whomever: Please Fight the Islamic State for Us

Why the Gulf states, the Kurds, the Turks, the Sunnis, and the Shia won’t fight America’s war.

Dec 10, 2015 / Peter Van Buren

US Engagement in the Middle East Is Riskier Than Ever

US Engagement in the Middle East Is Riskier Than Ever US Engagement in the Middle East Is Riskier Than Ever

Twelve years after the invasion of Iraq, the US presses onward in a region where it has few clear goals. What could go wrong?

Oct 22, 2015 / Peter Van Buren

John Kerry Iran Deal

It’s Not a Nuclear-Armed Iran That Israel and Saudi Arabia Really Fear It’s Not a Nuclear-Armed Iran That Israel and Saudi Arabia Really Fear

It’s that the Vienna Agreement opens the door for the United States and Iran to develop important financial and trade ties.

Jul 28, 2015 / Peter Van Buren

Iraqi army vehicle

Washington’s Strategy in Iraq Has Failed Washington’s Strategy in Iraq Has Failed

Why Iraq remains a quagmire after decades of intervention, trillions of dollars, the full weight of American military power, and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

Jun 25, 2015 / Peter Van Buren

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