Ideas

An Old Idea Could Bring Anti-Aircraft Missiles of Unprecedented Capability

Ramjet SAMs promise interceptions at altitudes and distances far beyond today’s defenses.

Ideas

Giuliani: ‘You Should Be Happy for Your Country That I Uncovered This’

As other Trump allies turn on him, President Trump’s personal attorney shouts down questions about his role in the Ukraine scandal.

Ideas

The Air Force's Kessel Run Is the John Travolta of Defense Acquisitions

Right now, the much-hyped software-development office is doing fine work. Let’s remember that when the inevitable backlash arrives.

Ideas

The US and Iran Are Still Worlds Apart on a Deal

At the UN, America and Iran talk at each other and refuse to meet.

Ideas

Ep. 56: 10 trips to Afghanistan, with Kevin Maurer

North Carolina-based author Kevin Maurer talks about his latest trip in January, and how some U.S. soldiers derive meaning from the longest conflict in the nation's history.

Ideas

Trump’s Incriminating Conversation With the Ukrainian President

The White House said a transcript of the call would be exculpatory—but the summary it released only adds to the problems facing Trump.

Ideas

Why America Needs Ukraine

Trump’s push to get Ukraine’s new president to do his political bidding threatens to undermine a key U.S. partnership in countering Russia.

Ideas

Trump's Transactional. And Estonia's President Is Cool With It.

"Thinking back historically, when everybody else said it nicely, we didn’t react,” Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid told us.

Ideas

America Is Abandoning the International Systems that Made It Great

Though Trump has accelerated its decline, the crisis of multilateralism has much deeper roots.

Ideas

On Iran, Trump Needs UN Help. He May Even Know it.

Maximum pressure isn't working. Tehran isn't backing down. Can the president woo a body that laughed at him last year?

Ideas

The Most Dangerous Moment of the Trump Presidency

The U.S. president has never clarified what he wants from Iran. Now all of his real options are bad.

Ideas

For Saudi Arabia, What Now?

Riyadh has military options for retaliating against Iran. The Trump administration needs to persuade Saudi leaders not to use them.

Ideas

Imagine If Obama Had Done This

Republicans have tolerated plenty of foreign-policy moves by Trump that they would never have let his predecessor get away with. Will that continue with Iran?

Ideas

If This Isn’t Impeachable, Nothing Is​​​​​​​

Trump reportedly pressured a foreign government for help against a potential electoral opponent.

Ideas

Time to Harden International Norms on Armed Drones

Progress on widely accepted rules has been as slow as the technological advancement has been fast.

Ideas

DHS’s New Counterterrorism Strategy Reflects Professionalism, Not Politics

The counterterrorism experts who oversaw the Obama-Trump policy transition applaud the new strategy’s bold approach to domestic terrorism and guns.

Ideas

It’s Really Hard to Buy Peace in Afghanistan

Western leaders looking to replace troops with targeted aid may find it counterproductive.

Ideas

Robert O’Brien Should Have to Face Senate Confirmation

Requiring congressional approval would be good for Trump, good for his choice for national security adviser, and good for the country.

Ideas

Some Arms Exports Are Riskier Than Others. Here’s a Tool To Tell Which Ones

The problems with selling weapons to Saudi Arabia and Turkey were hardly unpredictable.

Ideas

The Saudi-Oil Attacks Aren’t Game-Changing. They Show How the Game Has Changed

International norms and laws on proxy warfare encourage bad behavior. It’s time to change that.