Ideas

In The Tank: This Week’s Best Defense and National Security Think Tank Offerings

The latest in wonk reads on national security, tech, and more. By Kedar Pavgi

Ideas

‘War’ By Any Other Name Is the Plan

A war by any other name doesn’t matter. A strike on Syria is exactly what U.S. military is built to do and the Pentagon expects to do more of it. By Stephanie Gaskell

Ideas

How the 'War on Terror' Changed the Way We Go to War

The irregular nature of the past decade of warfare has emboldened presidents to order military action in other nations. Now Congress is saying, ‘Not so fast.’ By Stephanie Gaskell

Ideas

Only a ‘Painful’ Strike Will Stop Syria from Using Chemical Weapons Again

The father of the U.N.-backed Responsibility to Protect doctrine says military action against Syria is justified under the principles it lays out. By Kedar Pavgi

Policy

War with Syria: The Intersection of Interests and Ideology

In the realm of foreign affairs, it’s rare that a cause unites hawkish interventionists and neoconservatives, realists and liberal internationalists. By James Kitfield

Ideas

In The Tank: This Week’s Best Defense and National Security Think Tank Offerings

The latest in wonk reads on national security, tech, and more. By Kedar Pavgi

Ideas

The Battle Between the Air Force and the Air National Guard

The Air Force must stop pretending that it has no choice but to cut the Air National Guard and instead figure out ways to keep capability without being crushed by Congress. By Russell Rumbaugh

Ideas

Drones, Spying, Iraq and the Case Against Military Action in Syria

When it comes to building a case for a strike against Syria, America’s credibility on drones, spying and the invasion of Iraq may get in the way. By Michael Hirsh

Ideas

The Many Challenges of Building an International Military Coalition

Coordinating several militaries with different budgets, capabilities and goals to carry out a strike against Syria isn’t easy. By Kathleen J. McInnis

Ideas

Prospect of War in Syria Rattles Emerging Markets

With Wall Street on edge over the looming military strike against Syria, investors in emerging markets like Turkey and India are rushing for gold and U.S. currencies. By Matt Phillips

Ideas

Pentagon Pivots Within the Pivot, to Southeast Asia

First came the pivot to Asia. Now, there’s the pivot within the pivot. By Kevin Baron

Ideas

Pentagon’s Syria Response Reveals Limits of Prized Cyber, Drone Arsenal

Here’s why the 'clarity' of a 20th century cruise missile strike likely will trump the 'sophistication' of the Pentagon’s 21st century drones and cyber-weapons. By Stephanie Gaskell

Ideas

The War After the War in Syria

The continued fracturing of Syrian fighters threatens any hope for reconstruction once the fighting dies down. By Joshua Foust

Ideas

To Reach the East, NATO Must First Go North

NATO has an opportunity to engage its Asian partners and counterbalance the burgeoning Russian and Chinese interests in the Arctic. By Robbie Gramer and Alex Ward

Ideas

Whatever Comes Next, Syria Is Forcing a New U.S. Strategy for the Middle East

President Obama is deciding how to respond in Syria knowing that most Americans are wary of another mess in the Middle East. By Kevin Baron and Stephanie Gaskell

Ideas

In The Tank: This Week’s Best Defense and National Security Think Tank Offerings

The latest in wonk reads on national security, tech, and more. By Kedar Pavgi

Ideas

Hagel Begins Asian Pivot as the Middle East Burns

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will spend the week setting up what the U.S. hopes to achieve over the next century: driving security in Asia while leading from behind in the Middle East. By Kevin Baron

Ideas

How Badly Did Manning Hurt the United States?

Manning said he was sorry for leaking troves of classified information from Iraq and Afghanistan. But just how much damage did he do? By Stephanie Gaskell

Ideas

Once an Iraqi Interpreter, Now an American Soldier

The American dream -- and the fear of post-war Baghdad -- has led tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees to the U.S. For one former interpreter to the U.S. military, the only way to stay was to join up.

Ideas

Whispers in the Ranks that Iraq Has Turned Obama Isolationist to a Fault

Some in Obama’s diplomatic corps fear the president has “learned all the wrong things from Iraq” -- a deadly lesson for Syria’s rebels. By Gayle Tzemach Lemmon