Ideas

Don’t Box Retired Generals Out of Politics

Gen. Dempsey’s prescription would preclude valuable contributions toward an informed electorate.

Ideas

Why So Many Foreign Fighters Flock to ISIS

A look at the factors that motivate people to leave home and join faraway wars.

Ideas

In Today's Complex World, 'We Have No Idea What War Is'

Rosa Brooks discusses her tenure at the Pentagon, and the ever-expanding role of the American military.

Ideas

ISIS Is Switching Tactics in Iraq. Baghdad Needs to Get Its Act Together

As the Islamic State returns to urban terror attacks, Iraqi security agencies must learn to work with each other.

Ideas

Afghanistan: It’s Only Getting Worse

Is pouring billions more dollars into the country and keeping thousands of U.S. troops there the best way to keep us safe?

Ideas

How Not to Plan for ‘The Day After’ In Libya

Once again, the Obama Doctrine has encouraged improvisation over long-term strategy.

Ideas

China May Hate THAAD, But There's Not Much It Can Do About it

Beijing is blustering as the US prepares to deploy a new anti-missile system in South Korea.

Ideas

This is the War Against al-Qaeda the Next US President Will Inherit

Fifteen years after invading Afghanistan in pursuit of the 9/11 attackers, the U.S. is bombing a half-dozen more countries.

Ideas

How ISIS Is Shaking Up Transatlantic Views on Surveillance and Counter-Terrorism

France's heightened security didn’t prevent a bloody July. Why not?

Ideas

Keep Your Politics Private, My Fellow Generals and Admirals

We must not compromise our military’s special role in democracy, nor hinder those who come after us.

Ideas

Gold Star Families Deserve Better Than One News Cycle

Hashtag sympathy must be matched by real-world caring.

Ideas

NATO Spending, in Two Charts: 2016 Edition

Who’s hitting the 2% guideline?

Ideas

Trump’s Plea to Russian Hackers Foreshadows a Dangerous Stance on NSA Surveillance

His call out to Russian hackers validates the worst suspicions of security-state critics.

Ideas

The Dirty Secret of US-Israel Missile Defense Cooperation

We need a way to fund Israel’s missile defenses without undercutting our own.

Ideas

France, ISIS and the Fragile Unity of a Nation Under Attack

With each new terrorist incident in France, the solidarity that accompanied previous ones becomes harder to sustain.

Ideas

Vladimir Putin’s Best Summer Ever

Hacking the Democratic Party’s servers is part of Putin’s plan to prove that democracy doesn’t work.

Ideas

China's Rising Near This Key US War Base. Here's How We Push Back

In Djibouti, where China is building its first overseas naval installation, the US must support democratic processes and hold the government accountable to international law.

Ideas

Trump's NATO-Rattling Interview Has Delayed a Key Evolution in US Nuclear Posture

The Obama administration had been working to reassure nervous allies ahead of renouncing any first use of nuclear weapons. Now that's on hold.

Ideas

Trump's Loose NATO Talk Already Has Endangered Us

Collective security only works when everyone is committed to the common defense.

Ideas

Military Coups Have Become Less Common, But More Successful

Coup d’etat attempts have been growing less frequent across the world, particularly since the end of the Cold War.