Ideas
The Clear Logic of the Latest North Korean Test
Kim Jong Un has a predictable purpose and a plan.
Ideas
As China Rises, the US Must Stop Taking Australia for Granted
Canberra’s and Washington’s strategic preferences for confronting Beijing are diverging. Here’s how to bring them back together.
Ideas
How Mattis May Get Himself in Trouble With Trump
The secretary of defense could run afoul of his boss if his review of the policy on transgender troops follows the facts to their conclusion.
Ideas
The Quite Rational Basis for North Korea's Japan Overfly
With each new missile test, Pyongyang shakes Tokyo’s confidence in Washington, while accruing valuable data on its own capabilities.
Ideas
It Takes a Village to Raze an Insurgency
As the Trump Administration reviews its counter-terrorism policies and strategies, it should apply the lessons of the Village Stability Operations program.
Ideas
Congress Should Do Its Job, and Get Us Out of Yemen’s Civil War
American support for the Saudi-led coalition is getting us nowhere good.
Ideas
Trump Doesn't Have the Authority to Attack North Korea Without Congress
The decision to engage in armed conflict rests with the legislative branch, a requirement that is neither a formality nor outdated.
Ideas
Our Navy is Broken, and That is a Bad Thing
The fleet’s problems stem from decades of flat acquisition budgets and declining ship numbers.
Ideas
Lower-Yield Weapons Will Raise, Not Lower, the Threshold for Nuclear Use
Giving the U.S. president more flexible options will improve deterrence.
Ideas
As Independence Vote Nears, Iraqi Kurds Play a Risky Game of Chicken
Kurdistan’s president called the referendum to extract concessions from Baghdad. What if it doesn’t work?
Ideas
The North Korean Threat Beyond ICBMs
Even without them, the Kim regime can menace its immediate neighborhood—or sell nuclear material to rogue states.
Ideas
How James Mattis Tried to Explain Trump to the World
Just as Mattis sought to reassure nervous allies, back home there were numerous reminders that the populist and intemperate impulses of his boss will not be tamed.
Ideas
Trump’s Path to Indefinite Afghan War
President Trump’s much-anticipated Afghan policy rightly avoids troop withdrawal timelines but offers little prospect for progress against the durable Taliban.
Ideas
When Will Enough Be Enough in Afghanistan?
At some point, a president might have to acknowledge to the military: We fought hard, but we have other, greater priorities elsewhere.
Ideas
Cyberwar on Iran Won't Work. Here's Why.
A renewed campaign of covert network attacks is more likely to spur Tehran’s nuclear efforts than hinder them.
Ideas
America Needs to Stay in Afghanistan
'U.S. Afghan policy for 15 years has not been nation-building, but exit-seeking.'
Ideas
It's Time To Make Afghanistan Someone Else's Problem
A full withdrawal of U.S. forces will force Iran, Russia, and others, to step up.
Ideas
Rename US Army Bases for Heroes, not Confederates
Our soldiers should walk through gates that honor those who fought for the United States, not against it.
Ideas
Why Military Chiefs Are Condemning White Supremacy
The U.S. armed forces have had troubles with extremists enlisting in the past, and they don’t want it to happen again.
Ideas