Ideas

Here’s What’s Keeping the World from Uniting Against ISIS

People need a common story before they will go to war with an enemy. ISIS has one. The rest of the world does not.

Ideas

The Unintended Consequences of Containing ISIS

The Paris attacks have prompted calls for a stronger military response to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. But restraint may be the better course of action.

Ideas

Bombing Syria Won’t Make Paris Safer

The enemy France and Europe are struggling against is far closer to home.

Ideas

It's High Time for US, Russian Militaries to Start Meeting Again

It is increasingly dangerous in this cyber-fast world for the nuclear-tipped nations to have such a dearth of contact.

Ideas

It's Past Time for Congress to Debate the War on ISIS

The Korean War demonstrates the risks of continued escalation in the Middle East without congressional approval.

Ideas

Forget NATO; France Taps the EU in Its Fight Against ISIS

France could have triggered NATO's Article 5. Here's why Paris chose the EU's mutual defense clause instead.

Ideas

A Horrible Day for American Leadership

In response to terror, a petulant president and a xenophobic GOP presidential field.

Ideas

It’s Time for a Frank Talk with Pakistan’s Army Chief

The world is focused on Europe and the Levant this week, but the White House should grab a chance to address the fault lines in the US-Pakistan relationship.

Ideas

What Will Change Now?

After Paris? By now, the war in Syria has become so complicated that 'this doesn't change anything.'

Ideas

Cuban, US Ties Form Aboard US Military’s Hospital Ship

Thanks to the new open U.S. policy toward Cuba, the work done aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort heals more than bodies.

Ideas

Rand Paul Has a Point: How Much Defense Spending is Enough for GOP?

The next GOP debate could find even more substance by making candidates answer Paul’s question to the conservative movement.

Ideas

America Isn't Losing the War of Ideas to ISIS

In every era, the same alarms bells have sounded. The rise of the Internet, however, could make this one different.

Ideas

The Secret to Defeating the ISIS 'Caliphate' Might Just Be in Islam Itself

Nearly 100 years after the last Ottoman caliph was exiled, the Sunni world has yet to wholly define itself. And if good people don't step in, worse ones—like ISIS—will.

Ideas

Expect More Self-Destruction from Egypt's Sisi

The new Egypt, with its over-reliance on violence, coercion, and lies, looks strikingly similar to the old one.

Ideas

Make No Mistake: A Syrian Safe Zone is a Major Intervention

Safe zones can work if great powers and regional actors are united and committed to protecting civilians. These conditions don’t exist in Syria.

Ideas

Obama's Chance to Reinvent the U.S.-Israel Defense Relationship

Despite what you may hear this week, the U.S. and Israel are far closer than many realize, says Obama's former Middle East policy chief at the Pentagon.

Ideas

Syrian Peace Prospects Now Hinge on Long-Time Foes Saudi Arabia and Iran

Fighting in Syria cannot be resolved without some kind of accommodation between Riyadh and Tehran—both of whom have used proxies to prolong the war.

Ideas

Defense One Summit 2015 - The Age of Everything

Miss the 2015 Defense One Summit? Catch the whole thing again, right here.

Ideas

The US Coast Guard Is (Quietly) Building Up Allies in the Arctic

A new forum frees up Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the U.S. and Russia to talk formally about security in a way prohibited by the Arctic Council charter.

Ideas

Is There a Sunni Solution to ISIS?

David Ignatius calls for reconciliation among Iraqi Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. But this oversimplifies the bargain that needs to be struck.