Ideas
Drone Strikes Expand, Hustling the US Down a Risky Path
It’s time to rethink the tradeoffs between tactical efficiency and strategic risk. A new Stimson Center report lays them out.
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How Sanctions Feed Authoritarianism
Past experience shows that economic pressure does change societies—but it mostly facilitates hardliners. Iran’s regime may be next.
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Trump Is Choosing Eastern Europe
That is the subtext of the mini-crises sparked by his ambassador to Germany and of a recent speech by the assistant secretary of state for Europe.
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An Alliance Too Far: The Case Against a Cyber NATO
Should such an organization even get off the ground, it would soon fall apart. But there are other paths to take.
Ideas
Worker-Bee Satellites Will Weaponize Space — and Help Us Keep the Peace
Traditional arms-control negotiations have gone nowhere in half a century. A functional tack offers a way forward.
Ideas
Four Ways North Korea's Nukes Spell Trouble for the US — Even If They're Never Used
Kim Jong Un's ability to export anything from ICBM plans to working warheads gives him tremendous leverage, while boxing in U.S. responses.
Ideas
NATO’s Most Urgent Pledge Isn’t 2%-of-GDP. It’s Better Cyber Defense
The alliance has made strides toward its 2016 Cyber Defense Pledge. But more must be done, and urgently.
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I'm an Actor and Activist. Silence Is Just Not an Option
After Roseanne's tweets, critics again want to silence all artists. But I'm a 10-year advocate for human rights in Iran and done right political participation should include all people — including celebrities.
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.
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Trump’s North Korea Gamble Is a Real-Time Experiment
Here’s how the president’s bets look when viewed through the lens of behavioral economics.
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US Officials Just Mislabeled a Syrian Terror Group as al Qaeda. Worse, They’re Missing a Far Bigger Threat
The HTS group is not part of al Qaeda, but at loggerheads with it. Meanwhile, a smaller group is plotting global jihad.
Ideas
Ep. 6: Summit scramble; Hello, Indo-PACOM; All about Russian disinfo, and more.
Welcome to our podcast about the news, strategy, tech, and business trends defining the future of national security.
Ideas
What Would Denuclearization Look Like in North Korea?
Success will start by closing the gap between what the U.S. and North Korea mean by the term.
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The Status Quo Killed 17 US Sailors. The Navy Must Change.
The surface warfare community should embrace, not reject, a congressional mandate to divide new line officers into two specialties.
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Did Congress Just Shut Down Trump’s War Plans for Iran?
The Senate would do well to follow the House’s lead — and go even farther to shut all the backdoors to war.
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Syria Is Now In Charge of the UN's Disarmament Efforts. Really.
The U.S. says the Assad regime’s repeated use of chemical weapons on civilians should disqualify it from the post.
Ideas
How to Admit Georgia to NATO — Without Triggering a War
Russia’s partial occupation of the Caucasian country has given it a kind of veto on alliance membership. Here's a way around that.
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North Korea Wants to End up Like Pakistan, Not Libya
A poor country made enormous sacrifices to get nuclear weapons—and has them still.
Ideas
Why Europeans Turned Against Trump
Many see an America pulling away from the world order it shaped, the colossus at twilight, turning inward as other powers rise.
Ideas