Ideas
The Problem at the Core of Progressive Foreign Policy
Democratic presidential candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have ambitious plans but seem unwilling to make the trade-offs they would require.
Ideas
Ep. 55: Doomsday machines, nuclear hurricanes and Russian spies, with Vince Houghton
An interview with the author of 'Nuking the Moon: And Other Intelligence Schemes and Military Plots Left on the Drawing Board.'
Ideas
Trump OKs Ukraine Aid — But That’s Not the Right Choice
America doesn’t gain anything by escalating an unwinnable war on Russia’s border.
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Africa, Great Power Competition, and the US Navy
Russia and China want to leverage Africa's people and resources. U.S. Naval Forces Africa aspires to work with African partners to bring about a secure and prosperous continent.
Ideas
A Terrific Deal—For the Taliban
The president should have to answer for the Afghanistan mess in the 2020 election.
Ideas
We Can’t Secure 5G Networks by Banning Huawei Gear
The next-generation network simply doesn’t work like the current one. Staying safe will require a new relationship between business and government.
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After 9/11, US Intelligence Reinvented Itself. It's Time to Do It Again
After missing the Sept. 11 plot, spy agencies reoriented toward terrorism. Now technological threats require a new round of reforms.
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It’s Time for Congress to Rein in US Arms Exports
A staggering 70 percent of Americans believe that selling American arms abroad makes us less safe at home.
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John Bolton Will Hold This Grudge
His dismissal by tweet came after an unusually long prelude of disrespect, both by President Trump and by favored allies.
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The White House’s Impossible Job
The problem is not that Trump failed to get along with John Bolton—it’s that he doesn’t want a national security adviser in the first place.
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When it Comes to Allies, Americans Get It
New polling reveals Trump's disparagement of U.S. allies remains a bridge too far for most Americans — and it should remain so.
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America’s Déjà-Vu Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Like Obama in Iraq, Trump wants to stop fighting before the war is done.
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Two Cheers for Esper’s Plan to Reassert Civilian Control of the Pentagon
One might believe that leaving more decisions to uniformed experts would depoliticize policy. The opposite is true.
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‘Get a Weapon’: Advice to a Deploying Woman
That's what a veteran told me as I prepared to join U.S. forces in Baghdad. I thought he meant I needed a way to fend off the enemy.
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Coming Soon to a Battlefield: Robots That Can Kill
Tomorrow’s wars will be faster, more high-tech, and less human than ever before. Welcome to a new era of machine-driven warfare.
Ideas
How Not to Run the World
Once upon a time, the American commitment to regularity in meetings and reasoned decision making allowed the rest of the world to sleep a little easier.
Ideas
The Mattis Two-Step
The forever general’s attempt to "stay out of politics" is bringing him right into it.
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With US Help, Africa’s Coastal Nations Are Learning to Work Together
Maritime security only works when entire regions cooperate.
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What Happens After the INF Treaty?
Deterrence and arms control have long shaped U.S. national security policy. A negotiator of the 1987 agreement asks: What now?
Ideas