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.

Ideas

Maintaining the Edge in the Age of Everything

Ash Carter's message to the Defense One Summit: a new commitment to military, academic, business and scientific partnerships.

Ideas

How ISIS Spread in the Middle East

Tracing the roots of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria—and how to stop it.

Ideas

What It Would Really Take to Knock Out the Power Grid

As our electrical system lifts itself out of the stone age, the defense built around it will require added vigilance.

Ideas

Don’t Call Warlord Territory an ‘Ungoverned Space'

If we are to restore the rule of law to areas held by non-government groups, we must consider the sort of order they provide.

Ideas

The Right Way to Enforce Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea

Patrols must be clearly seen as reinforcing the norms involved, without bias or prejudice to who is claiming the features.

Ideas

Trick or Treat: A Pleasant Surprise for the Defense Budget

The debate over the defense budget is not really about defense. But this is the best possible deal.

Ideas

The History of No-Fly Zones Doesn’t Bode Well for Syria

Tough-talking presidential candidates want a no-fly zone to save Syrians. But nothing in the historical record shows a NFZ would work this time.