Ideas
Here's a Better Way to Understand Urban Violence in the Middle East
A new book plumbs the region's history to frame the events of today and tomorrow.
Ideas
What Are Turkey and Russia Doing in Syria?
CFR’s Steven Cook offers context and backstory behind the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara.
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Trump’s Deal-Powered Vision Will, and Won’t, Change US Foreign Policy
'The day of the chess player is over,' the businessman once wrote.
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Trump Inherits ‘The Good War’
Many Afghans desire a fresh U.S. approach. All must wait to see what policy emerges from the New York businessman’s scattered thoughts.
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What the US Should Learn from Israel’s Silicon Valley
The world’s hottest cybersecurity market is powered by a unique collaboration of government, industry, finance and academia.
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The American Leader in the Islamic State
How a military brat from Texas became a devoted jihadist.
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Global Conflicts to Watch in 2017
The greatest unknown for U.S. interests in the world might be the United States itself.
Ideas
Trump’s Bid to Remove NATO Official Could Easily Backfire on the US
A strong alliance needs strong staff, like Rose Gottemoeller.
Ideas
Trump, Putin, and the Art of Appeasement
The famed deal maker seems intent on giving away American leverage for nothing.
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Trump, Taiwan, and The Fantasy of a Phone Call
China will fight back. Taiwan’s backers should never forget that.
Ideas
Washington's Dangerous Drums of War on North Korea
Bombing North Korea’s missile sites would be a ‘monumental act of folly.’
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Russia and the Threat to Liberal Democracy
Nothing will more profoundly shape our world than how the Trump administration responds to the challenge.
Ideas
Want to Hurt the Taliban? Legalize Opium in Afghanistan
Economics explains how anti-drug operations have undermined the war on terror.
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A Dictator Among the Ruins: What Comes Next in Syria
Putin and Assad’s victory in Aleppo will usher in a new phase of the conflict, rather than its end.
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‘Trump Has Already Created Lots of Chaos’
A Chinese scholar argues that the U.S. shouldn’t touch Taiwan—just like China wouldn’t back separatists in Texas or Hawaii.
Ideas
ISIS in the Caribbean
The spread of Salafi Islam and a government’s blind eye toward recruiting has helped lead more Trinidadians to fight for ISIS than any other country in the Western hemisphere.
Ideas
Will Obama’s Mattis Be Trump’s Mattis?
In General Mattis, Trump picked an insider warrior-diplomat who worked with the Obama administration, respected Hillary Clinton, and knows the Middle East better than most.
Ideas
The Jihadi Thinker Who Ushered in the Era of ‘Anything Goes’ Warfare
Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir died in a recent airstrike, but his ideas will shape Islamic State and al-Qaeda tactics for years to come.
Ideas
The 'Civilian Control of the Military' Fallacy
Retired officers like James Mattis who are nominated for civilian posts should be judged on their merits—not disqualified on the basis of their past service.
Ideas