Articles by Ilya Shapiro

What a Civilian Reserve Corps Would Look Like

BAGHDAD—Last week I argued that neither civilian nor military structures, as currently organized, are quite right for leading the Rule of Law (ROL) component of a reconstruction (or "nation-building") effort. Instead, I floated the idea of a Civilian Reserve Corps. Read More

Who Should Establish Rule of Law in Iraq?

BAGHDAD—Last week I argued here that establishing Rule of Law in Iraq is both possible and realistic, but that this process must take into account local customs and achieve both popular legitimacy and elite buy-in to work. Now I... Read More

Is Rule of Law Possible in Iraq?

BAGHDAD - Because of my temporary and purposely broad role here as a rule of law advisor, I have the luxury of being able to think about the bigger picture (and indeed am occasionally specifically asked to do so).... Read More

Why I Have Come to Iraq

BAGHDAD - Two weeks have now passed since I sat in the cargo hold of a C-130 and made the short journey north from Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait to Sather Air Base on the outskirts of... Read More

Soda Jerks, Pop Tarts and Coke Heads: The Choices of a Purple Generation

Ever since the 2000 elections, Americans have been fascinated by maps showing the split of this country into two competing camps: Republican Red America and Democratic Blue America. Especially when viewed through the lens of the winner-take-all state-by-state elec Read More

April Fools for Highly Skilled Workers

Because April 1 was a Sunday, the day exposing the foolishness that is U.S. immigration policy fell on April 2 this year. This is the day when employers are allowed to begin filing petitions with the U.S. Citizen and... Read More

The Oscars for Lawyers

They say that Washington is Hollywood for ugly people. If that's true then the annual Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention is Washington's Oscars, at least for lawyers. The Federalist Society for Law and Policy Studies—for those who haven't yet... Read More

Under the Lights

CHALMETTE, Louisiana -- "That Popeye's was the first business to reopen here after The Storm," explains my friend, who moved to New Orleans in the literal wake of Hurricane Katrina. He had traded a cushy gig at the Department of... Read More

Wedding Bells in Purple America

A few weeks ago was Constitution Day. This out-of-the-way end-of-summer non-holiday celebrates the signing of the hand-scrawled four pages of parchment that changed the world by setting the new model for self-governance. That the day gets less attention, outside th Read More

Beating Swords Into Soccer Balls

Lost in all the hype surrounding the recent war between Hizbullah and Israel are the human interest stories. I don't mean the pictures of particular dead children, fleeing refugees or cramped bomb shelters. No, I mean human interest stories in... Read More

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