Author Archive
Ideas
Even a Bolder Biden Will Only Go So Far
The pandemic has expanded his ambitions—just not enough to challenge the Pentagon.
Ideas
But What About China?
To treat great-power competition as an afterthought is irresponsible, even dangerous. The 2020 presidential candidates did just that.
Ideas
Bolton Keeps Trying to Goad Iran Into War
For more than a decade, he’s consistently promoted war with Iran. All that has changed are the pretexts he’s offering to justify one.
Ideas
How Is Iran Worse Than Saudi Arabia?
A rational foreign policy would view Tehran as a normal regional power jockeying with equally sharp-elbowed foes. 2020 Democrats can lead the way.
Ideas
Why Trump Is Trying to Create a Crisis
The president didn’t declare a state of national emergency on Tuesday night, but he laid the foundation for doing so.
Ideas
Saudis, Yemen War Leading New Democrats Away From Obama Foreign Policy
They also want to rein in presidential war powers.
Ideas
What Elizabeth Warren’s Speech Says About The Left’s Foreign-Policy Debate
The senator from Massachusetts will deliver a speech on Thursday that demonstrates her differences with other progressives—particularly with respect to China.
Ideas
Trump Hobbled Efforts to Counter Violent Extremism
The administration cut programs designed to prevent atrocities like Pittsburgh.
Ideas
America Needs a Non-Unipolar Foreign Policy
Trump’s election should remind Congress and policymakers that the U.S. cannot do it all.
Ideas
NATO Doesn’t Need 4% Defense Spending
Trump's new call for allies to spend 4 percent of their GDPs on defense makes no sense. Even America shouldn't do that.
Ideas
How Sanctions Feed Authoritarianism
Past experience shows that economic pressure does change societies—but it mostly facilitates hardliners. Iran’s regime may be next.
Featured eBooks
Ideas
A Radical Pick for the National Security Council
John Bolton’s new chief of staff comes from the Center for Security Policy, a group that was largely shunned by conservatives in Washington—but is making a comeback in the Trump era.
Ideas
'All Is Shambles': The Days After the Iran Deal
Prominent advocates for withdrawal grappled too little with the possibility that the president cannot pull this off.
Ideas
Iran Hawks Are the New Iraq Hawks
Many of the assumptions that guided America’s march to conflict in 2003 still dominate American foreign policy today.
Ideas
Is Trump Preparing for War With North Korea?
The omissions in the State of the Union, and the fate of Victor Cha, all point in the same direction.
Policy
Islamophobia No Longer Needs Terrorism as a Justification
Conservatives are finding new justifications for anti-Muslim sentiments—and embedding them more deeply in America’s political terrain.
Ideas
South Korea Is Right
Trump has characterized its policy as “appeasement.” But Seoul’s approach is far more sensible than Washington’s.
Ideas
How Trump Could Get China's Help on North Korea
Beijing is not going to pressure Pyongyang just because he tells them to.
Policy
Trump Republicans See Putin's Russia As a New Front Line Against Islam
Conservatives are divided on whether Putin’s Russia is a totalitarian enemy or a defender of the Christian West.
Policy