Ideas

It’s Unnecessary to Pick Sides in the Gulf. America Should Stop.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are each capable of keeping the other from establishing regional control.

Ideas

Saudi Arabia is Hurting American Interests

After Yemen, Qatar, kidnappings and Khashoggi, it's time to reset the U.S. relationship with the kingdom.

Ideas

Time to Rethink the Price of Partnering With Dictators

Dissidents need to know the U.S. stands with them, also.

Ideas

Trump Is Right to Leave The INF Nuclear Treaty

Despite sensible objections, the US could benefit, and it's hard to see how Russia ever would comply.

Ideas

How to Keep a Cyberattack from Turning into Nuclear War? Keep Talking

Trump’s Pentagon declared that "significant non-nuclear strategic attacks" may invite U.S. nuclear use, but does that matter to North Korea?

Ideas

Stan McChrystal: I Threw Away My Robert E. Lee Painting

“It was not a simple decision,” says the retired Afghanistan war commander.

Ideas

A Serial Killing Spree That Threatens Us All

Can John Bolton be stopped before he further undermines U.S. national security?

Ideas

Three Questions from Last Month’s Giant Vostok Exercise

What should American strategists take away from China’s participation in Moscow’s biggest annual wargames?

Ideas

Why the Idlib Deal Matters

Ankara’s U.S. ambassador says the Turkey-Russia buffer agreement can save even more lives — if other governments will help implement it.

Ideas

Nothing About Trashing the INF Treaty Makes the US Safer

From the strategic and diplomatic realms to the budgetary and tactical levels, Trump’s decision makes no sense.

Ideas

How the Joint Staff Calculated a Defense Program’s Return on Investment

As our office computed the utility of its wargaming grants and library, we learned some things that others in DoD may want to copy.

Ideas

Ep. 25: Rare earth-hunting in US coal country; China's military might; Uighurs in Xinjiang and more.

Welcome to our podcast about the news, strategy, tech, and business trends defining the future of national security.

Ideas

The Week That Tied Mideast Experts in Knots

Sanctions are not always bad, engagement is not always good, and transactional policy cuts both ways.

Ideas

How to Stop Weaponized Consumer Drones

Have a drone you want removed from the sky? Grab your wallet, some patience, and probably a lawyer — because so far, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

Ideas

How To Get Nuclear-Weapons Treaties Back on Track

The agreements that hold back a strategic arms race are in trouble. But there is a way forward.

Ideas

If Iran Never Leaves Syria, Will America Stay Forever?

If the Trump administration’s containment strategy fails, it could embolden Tehran while miring U.S. troops indefinitely.

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Microsoft, Amazon CEOs Vow to Continue Defense Work After Google Bails on JEDI

The leaders of two contenders for the Pentagon’s massive cloud contract sounded off on Google’s decision not to bid.

Ideas

Trump Asks, 'I Mean, What's an Ally?'

In the president's world, there is no higher question than “who’s getting paid?”

Ideas

Human Rights Have Evaporated from America’s Saudi Policy

The administration’s reticence about the disappearance of a Saudi journalist is offensive, but it’s also clarifying.