Ideas

Beating Terror, Indonesian Style

Jakarta’s battle against Islamic terrorist groups has seen improvisation and missteps, but also five key factors.

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On the Cyber Frontier, Hacking Back is Ethical — and Even Desirable

Governments could treat retaliatory cyberattacks as ‘frontier' incidents, which are not necessarily escalatory.

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Rein in the National Security Council

Created as a coordinating body, the NSC has become a policymaking powerhouse whose White House status hides it from oversight.

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Yemen Has Become the Graveyard of the Obama Doctrine

The human costs of facilitating Saudi Arabia’s proxy war have been enormous, and there’s no end in sight.

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Progress or Oppression—You Decide, Obama Tells the UN in His Final Address

From mass migration to North Korea’s nukes, Obama’s lofty speech contained little guidance about how to resolve the world’s intractable problems.

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How Mistakes and Mission Creep Are Shaping Libya’s Future

Lost in the din of developments at the UN this week is a British report on the ‘failed’ intervention that has turned the country into an 'unmitigated disaster.'

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After Mosul Falls, How Much Rebuilding Help Should the US Give?

Restoring stable governance means creating a government that can supply basic services — and there are several ways the United State can provide assistance.

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What to Do About Zero-Day Hacks? Try A Middle Road

A system of government incentives will keep us safer than trying to buy up all newly discovered vulnerabilities, or outlawing their sale.

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The Indian Army Just Suffered Its Biggest Attack in a Decade as Tensions Rise with Pakistan

Sunday’s terrorist attack that killed 17 New Delhi troops occurred alongside a new Kashmir crackdown that has killed 85 so far.

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The Other Front Line: Iraqi Schools Need Our Help

The ultimate success of the coming military assault on Mosul will depend on reviving a shattered educational system.

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The UK Is Having the War Debate That America Isn't

The U.S. and Britain both intervened in Iraq and Libya. Only one is now seriously reckoning with those choices.

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Just Wait Until Data Thieves Start Releasing Altered and Fake Emails

It's one thing for someone to air your dirty laundry. It's another thing entirely to throw in a few choice items that aren't real.

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A Peek into French Signals Intelligence

France’s former top SIGINT spy confirms an advanced persistent threat and muses about a merger with German intelligence.

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Powerful Countries Don't Nuke First

A no-first-use approach toward nuclear weapons is the policy of Goliath, not Gandhi.

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The True Costs of America's Credit-Card War on Terror

The bills will be coming for decades, in the form of debt-service interest, veterans’ medical expenses, and forgone opportunities.

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How Much Really Changed About Terrorism on 9/11?

Three founders of modern terrorism studies reflect on what the world has learned about political violence—and what remains unknown.

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Six Steps to Starting Over After a Civil War

How do you dismantle the animosities of a half-century war and create peace in a country known for its absence?

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Nuclear Test No. 5: How North Korea's Compares to Other Countries'

Here's what other nuclear powers achieved, and what that reveals about Kim Jong Un's progress.

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North Korea Is Not Afraid of the International Community

With sanctions having no effect, few options remain short of regime change and acquiescence to Pyongyang as a permanent nuclear power.

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Trump's Defense-and-Budget Plan Has Been Tried Before

The GOP candidate's proposals for irresponsible tax cuts and uncapped defense spending look quite a bit like George W. Bush's.