Ideas

Ep. 51: Magnus Nordenman on Russia, the U.S., and "The New Battle for the Atlantic"

Magnus Nordenman explains how America's strategic and operational environment in the North Atlantic has changed since the Cold War, and quite a bit more.

Ideas

Don’t Peg Troop Withdrawals to the Political Calendar

Reductions in the U.S. presence should be tied to conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.

Ideas

But What About China?

To treat great-power competition as an afterthought is irresponsible, even dangerous. The 2020 presidential candidates did just that.

Ideas

The INF Treaty Lapses Tomorrow. Trump & Putin Should Save It

Stability will ebb and danger rise if the U.S. and Russia allow the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty to lapse on Aug. 2.

Ideas

Five Questions About Nukes To Ask at the Next Debate

Three minutes’ discussion among two candidates is a pitiful amount of time to devote to a truly existential threat.

Ideas

How Long Can Trump Keep Ignoring Kim’s Missile Tests?

It’s becoming harder for the president to overlook the fact that the man with whom he claims to have fantastic chemistry is literally going ballistic.

Ideas

Two Ways to Ward off Killer Spacecraft

One is diplomatic; the other, technological.

Ideas

The Missing Debate about Afghanistan

The president’s talk about “wiping” the country “off the face of the earth” highlights the need for a serious talk about U.S. goals and strategy.

Ideas

Antiques Road Show: The Real State of the US Military

The wars of the future may depend not so much on the kinds of things you can put on parade, but on new technologies that reimagine warfare.

Ideas

The Bill for ‘America First’ Is Coming Due

Two of America’s closest treaty allies have announced military efforts explicitly designed to exclude the United States.

Ideas

Ep. 50: Cyberwarfare yesterday

This episode, we survey the history of cyberwarfare — from the ascent of Chinese hackers this century to the arrest of a Soviet-linked hacker 30 years ago, and a lot in between.

Ideas

About that Counter-Iran Coalition...

The Trump administration called for help, but Washington's friends have shrugged and calculated it is safer to stay away from "maximum pressure." There is a better way.

Ideas

If New START Dies, These Questions Will Need Answers

There’s little public indication that the Trump administration is thinking about several things that will happen if the last strategic arms agreement is allowed to expire.

Ideas

No, Lyme Disease Is Not an Escaped Military Bioweapon

The Lyme bacterium was living in the wild decades before the disease was even identified. And there's plenty more to disprove the conspiracy theories.

Ideas

Let the US Air Force Move Ahead with Its Heavy-Lift Rocket Program

Lawmakers' attempt to force the service to allow more companies to bid on satellite launches would do more harm than good.

Ideas

Don't Trust the Taliban With Afghanistan’s Cultural Preservation

The group continues to attack sites and antiquities. Here are five ways peace negotiators can ensure that Afghanistan’s past will contribute to its future.

Ideas

The Future of Conflict is Proxy Warfare, Again

A new CNA study offers seven lessons from America’s experience with supporting one side from afar.

Ideas

Should Cyber Arms Be Treated Like Bioweapons?

A recent paper suggests that the two are more closely related under international law than previously thought. But the analogy, while useful, is not exact.

Ideas

The Arguments for Weakening Encryption Aren't Any Better Under Trump

Law-enforcement backdoors would still make everyone less safe, even as U.S. officials set their sights on broader access to data.

Ideas

Iran Is Acting Like the International Villain of Trump’s Prophecy

Any number of relatively mundane scenarios now have the potential to escalate U.S.-Iran tensions—from a fire at a militia base to the seizure of an oil tanker to the signal-jamming of a drone.