Syria is going to hell in a handbasket, and the world is watching.

Talks begin tomorrow between the P5 + 1 (the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany) and Iran. Today, the P5+1 group is having a prep meeting. Talks with Iran are destined to fail, not because I want them to, but because every piece is in place for failure:

In his 2011 State of the Union Address, with six members of the Supreme Court present, President Obama famously attacked the Court’s Citizen’s United decision. At the center of Obama’s criticism was his completely erroneous contention that the decision opened the floodgates to foreign corporate spending in U.S. election campaigns.

Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez has tried for 10 months to conceal the fact that he is losing his bout with cancer, determined to appear in command of his revolutionary regime and the nation's future. So why isn't anyone outside Venezuela paying attention?

Beijing bests Manila in a naval standoff, worrying its neighbors.

Iranian bluster is bad enough. When Tehran is able to put substance behind it, American interests will truly be in peril. The question for Obama and the Republicans seeking to replace him is whether the United States can bear an Iranian challenge which will grow exponentially once Iran goes nuclear.

Though Russia wants to know more about how the United States manages to revolutionalize its technology, the charges against eleven people accused of spying for Russia will likely have little impact on future U.S.-Russian relations.

The Obama administration must convince not only Ukraine and Georgia, but also central and eastern Europe and Russia, that Washington is serious about its commitment to protect democracy, freedom, and liberty.