Ideas
Two Years After Snowden, Are We Better Off?
The NSA's mass surveillance authority has been scaled back, but answers to other digital issues are still being contentiously debated.
Ideas
Attach Human-Rights Conditions to Aid for Egypt
The connection between curbing Cairo’s abuses and U.S. interests in the region is not so much hidden as ignored.
Ideas
Forget Ivory, Africa's al-Shabaab Terrorists Are Getting Rich on Coal in Somalia
False portrayals of the terrorist group's role in the ivory trade could leave us with both more terrorists and fewer elephants in Africa.
Ideas
The Iraqi Army No Longer Exists
ISIS’s victory in Ramadi reveals that containment is the best the U.S. can do for now.
Ideas
Military Force Alone Can’t Deter China’s Expansionism
The U.S. must use its economic levers, especially trade, to parry Beijing’s territory-building.
Ideas
If Only US Leaders Read This Book On Pakistan That Was on Bin Laden's Shelf
While the U.S. draws down in Afghanistan, there's still time to hold Pakistan to account as the hostile state it is, rather than the challenging ally so many delude themselves into believing.
Ideas
Why the New Arab Military Pact Isn't Worth The Ink It Was Written In
The plan drawn up yesterday by the Arab world’s military chiefs is unlikely to go any farther than the Cairo conference room where it was concocted.
Ideas
It’s Time To Arm the Sunni Tribes
The United States must work with what partners it has available in Iraq, not fictitious ones it might prefer.
Ideas
Ramadi is Only Part of the Problem With Iraq
The defeat at Ramadi should not have happened, but the war to save Iraq will be won in Mosul.
Ideas
Ask Your 2016 Candidate These Questions on Drone Warfare
Our country needs to know where its next commander-in-chief stands.
Ideas
Maersk Tigris: A Warning Bell for Our Contested Maritime Century
In the 21st century, competition between established and emerging powers will be increasingly felt and expressed at sea.
Ideas
A New Way To Help Our Troops Enter the Workforce
The Pentagon’s latest initiative connects employers to troops before they leave the military, so they’re better trained and ready to work when they do.
Ideas
How One Woman Earned Her Way Onto the Special Ops Battlefield
Amber realized she would have to beat dozens of women at the Army Rangers' famed '100 hours of hell' if she wanted to see combat in Afghanistan.
Ideas
The 3 Areas Where the Navy Is Adjusting Its Operating Strategy
Facing threats to its existing operating concept, the Navy is adjusting the way it'll pursue surface warfare in the 21st century.
Ideas
The Best Way To Save Obama's Camp David Summit
U.S. and Arab leaders can launch a framework for security cooperation easily enough, but enduring success will require deeper thinking.
Ideas
North Korea’s Missile Test Is Less Impressive Than You Think
Photos of a May 9 sub-launch test indicate Pyongyang has a long way to go.
Ideas
Tomorrow’s Small Wars Won’t Just Be Land Wars
The naval and coastal aspects of counterinsurgency get dangerously short shrift.
Ideas
What Americans Don't Understand About Their Own Military
Reinstating the draft is hardly a realistic solution to bridging the military-civilian gap in the U.S. And here's why.
Ideas
Everything You Need To Know About No-Fly Zones
Lesson one: there’s nothing easy about setting up or enforcing aerial off-limits areas.
Ideas