There's been no shortage of tedious commentary driving home the narrative about how the Obama administration is tougher on America's allies than on America's enemies. But in the case of Japan, I think it's pretty clear the administration put an ally in an impossible situation.

Pacific Palisades and Agrigento, Italy, have a couple of things in common. The Palisades has the Getty Villa, where Greco-Roman antiquities reign supreme, while Agrigento was a leading Sicilian city during the expansive reign of ancient Greece.

The Obama administration resisted its allies' calls to condemn Israel's raid on an aid flotilla headed to the Gaza Strip, with senior officials saying they were awaiting an investigation to determine who was responsible for the violence that killed nine civilians aboard one of the ships.

With a new aid vessel already en route to challenge the four-year economic siege of the Hamas-controlled territory — and activists promising a new flotilla — the U.S. faces a growing challenge in balancing its support for Israel with other important diplomatic relationships in the region.

As U.S. President Barack Obama prepares for his visit to Asia in June -- one of three potential roundtrips to the region this year -- it is worth exploring what Washington's future policy options are with respect to Asian regionalism.

The Obama administration's first National Security Strategy emphasizes a multilateral approach to solving international problems in contrast to the Bush years. But it is an adaptation of traditional thinking rather than a completely new approach.

Bill Clinton returned to Haiti on a new mission Tuesday to invigorate recovery from January's devastating earthquake and help millions end lives of poverty and danger...During his four-hour visit, Clinton pledged $2 million from his personal foundation for recovery - $1 million for disaster preparedness and the rest to fund the commission's work.