Ideas
Four New Questions For Trump on Syria
The ISIS fight is nearly over, military leaders say. Is the United States ready to lead what happens next?
Ideas
A Former CIA Director Describes the Dangers of 'Trump Unleashed'
John Brennan praises the advisers who restrain Donald Trump’s impulses, calls out the president’s “enablers” inside the White House, and considers the prospect of World War III.
Ideas
Ash Carter: Behind the Plan to Defeat ISIS
To its credit, the Trump administration followed the path we set in the Obama administration.
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Washington Still Doesn’t Understand Iraq
The U.S. dream of a democratic and federal Iraq is over. Appointing Iran the next boogeyman won’t help.
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‘Military Options’ Against North Korea Isn’t the Problem—Loose Talk Is
There are a lot of ways for things to go wrong.
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Raqqa After ISIS Still Needs US Help
The group’s ultimate defeat is far from assured, and the United States can play a critical role in precluding the emergence of Islamic State 2.0.
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Trump Isn't the Only Problem with Trump's Foreign Policy
America’s approach to the world is a complicated mess, for reasons that predate the current president.
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US Space Policy Should Aim to Preserve Advantage on the New Frontier
As in the 19th-century American West, the government must recognize its limited yet crucial role in fostering the nation’s interests in space.
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Japan Needs Long-Range Strike Capabilities
Ballistic-missile defense systems alone can’t ward off regional threats. Tokyo needs firepower to deter its enemies.
Ideas
What McCain Knows That Kelly Forgot
One veteran offered a dark picture of a nation estranged from its military—the other, a more hopeful vision of a future brighter than the past.
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A Tale of Two Speeches
Sen. McCain and former President Bush called for Americans to rise to global leadership, and underscored the concrete benefits that have accrued from it. In normal times, this would be unexceptional.
Ideas
The Contradiction at the Core of Trump's North Korea Strategy
The president’s national-security advisers say they’re running out of time to do something extremely time-consuming.
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The Bloody End of the Islamic State's Utopian Dream
The fall of Raqqa this week completed the slow-motion demolition of the world’s only utopian movement worthy of the name.
Ideas
Trump’s Iran Strategy Is No Strategy At All
It's a laundry list of grievances, some get-tough rhetoric, and a quixotic retreat from diplomacy that ties one hand behind the president's back.
Ideas
China Is Quietly Reshaping the World
The staggering scope of the country’s infrastructure initiative—and what it means for the international order.
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America Has Become Dispensable in Iraq
The conflict in Kirkuk offers further evidence of Iran’s steady rise.
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Let's Walk This Through: If North Korea Launches An ICBM, Then...
It takes a lot of rosy assumptions to get to President Trump’s 97% chance of success.
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Can the United States Broker Peace Between Iraq and the Kurds?
Washington should respond to sectarian conflict near Kirkuk by seeking to preserve a united Iraq while supporting Kurdish autonomy.
Ideas
The War on ISIS Held the Middle East Together
With the fall of Raqqa, the sad story will pick up exactly where it left off in 2014.
Ideas