Ideas

How Authoritarians Manipulate Elections

From Russia to Venezuela, the strongmen who have destroyed democratic institutions won high office at the ballot box.

Ideas

The Slow Death of the Iran Nuclear Deal

Tehran says it will stop complying with elements of the accord unless the countries that remain live up to their commitments. But those five states are unlikely to stand up to U.S. pressure.

Ideas

Tech Companies Are Deleting Evidence of War Crimes

Algorithms that take down “terrorist” videos could hamstring efforts to bring human-rights abusers to justice.

Ideas

How Much Will It Cost to Protect America's Electrical Grid? Who Will Pay?

The answers are: Likely tens of billions of dollars, and probably us, the electricity customers.

Ideas

How Not to Announce a Ship Deployment

A simple press conference could have avoided 36 hours of confusion and fears of war with Iran.

Ideas

Trump’s Iran Policy Is Counterproductive

It makes no sense to punish allies in Europe while shoring up hardliners in Tehran.

Ideas

A Boom Time for US Sanctions

The explosive growth in their use has prompted questions about how much is too much.

Ideas

Europe Should Do More for Regional Security — Starting with Libya

Allied “burden-sharing” ought not be about financial benchmarks, but about U.S. partners’ investment in their own regions’ security.

Ideas

Once Again, Trump Fails to Press Putin on Electoral Interference

No one in government other than Trump denies the Russian attack. That makes his May 3 phone call even more surreal.

Ideas

Trump Signs Executive Order to Boost Federal Cyber Workforce

Initiatives include cyber aptitude assessments for agency insiders and a President’s Cup cybersecurity competition.

Ideas

Protecting Civilians Still Matters in Great-Power Conflict

It’s easy to see why counterinsurgency campaigns tread carefully around local bystanders. It’s no less important in larger-scale war.

Ideas

Why Baghdadi Risked a Video Appearance

ISIS faces dangers as an organization that are more significant than the ones Baghdadi does as an individual.

Ideas

A US-Russia-China Arms Treaty? Extend New START First

Trump’s proposed pact is likely a pipe dream — or a smoke screen for scuttling yet another arms-control agreement.

Ideas

In the Global Power Era, Remember the Bin Laden Raid

The Defense Department must make choices, but we cannot become complacent about the fight against terrorism.

Ideas

How an Elaborate Plan to Topple Venezuela’s President Went Wrong

The United States thought all the pieces were in place for Maduro to leave. Then everything came crashing down.

Ideas

Ep. 43: Nuclear weapons awareness in the 20th and 21st centuries

We explore the public’s changing awareness of nuclear weapons, and efforts to get young people to engage.

Ideas

The Pentagon Is Flubbing Its Pitch to Silicon Valley

Appeals to patriotism won’t move America’s tech industry. Other approaches might work better.

Ideas

You Can Now Bid on DOD's 2nd-Largest-Ever Cloud-Services Contract

The up-to-$8 billion DEOS is only the first phase of the Defense Department's plan to buy common communication, collaboration and productivity capabilities.

Ideas

Five Things I Learned From the Mueller Report

A careful reading of the dense document delivers some urgent insights — including a surprising revelation on the counterintelligence front.