Threats

Tunisia May Be Headed for Another Arab Spring

Tunisia just held its second consecutive peaceful election -- but regional instability means it's still too soon to celebrate a stable democratic transition in Tunis. By Sam Kimball and Nicholas Linn

Policy

Who Will Be the Next Secretary of Defense?

Eyes are now on two Pentagon veterans and the current Air Force secretary, among others, as possible replacements for the outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. By Ben Watson

Policy

Only One Redacted Item Is Holding Up the CIA's Torture Report

Senators still think they can wrap up negotiations with the White House over redactions in a Senate report before the year ends. By Dustin Volz and Lauren Fox

Policy

The Battle Over Hagel’s Replacement For Defense Secretary Has Already Begun in Congress

Republican leaders cast Hagel’s fall as Obama’s fault, warning the White House to send a nominee they can confirm. By Molly O’Toole

Business

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Is Resigning

The defense secretary is leaving the top post at the Pentagon after less than two years in office. By Stephanie Gaskell

Policy

Military Suicides Decline, But Continued Failures Hold Lessons for Future Wars

To win the wars of tomorrow, we must understand the ways we are continuing to fail our troops today.

Threats

The Many Iranian Obstacles in the Way of a Strong Nuclear Deal

The military option isn't much of an option. But diplomacy could inadvertently pave the way to a nuclear Iran. By Jeffrey Goldberg

Threats

Obama Orders Expanded US Role in Afghanistan

Caught between the Pentagon's demands, a promise to end a war, and the fallout in Iraq, President Obama is allowing the military to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan next year. By Allen McDuffee

Science & Tech

White House Push To Allow FBI Phone Hacks Could Hurt Intelligence Gathering

Two former Navy SEALs say that the White House and FBI push against encryption will hurt troops, intelligence gathering. By Patrick Tucker

Ideas

Will Politics Kill a Deal on Iran?

Impossibly high Republican demands are just a partisan attack to prevent Obama from achieving anything resembling a victory. By Joe Cirincione

Policy

Democrat to NSA: Forget Congress, Stop Mass Spying Now

Senate Republicans blocked a bill to restrict domestic surveillance. But Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff says the administration should act anyway. By Brendan Sasso

Threats

The US Just Launched Its 500th Drone Strike

The tactic is almost as old as the Afghanistan war. And nowadays it has become completely routine. By Micah Zenko

Threats

Can Burkina Faso's Military Put the Country on the Path to Democracy?

After years of resentment toward American influence in the troubled West African nation, a U.S.-trained lieutenant colonel is in charge of assembling a new government. By Molly Rapaport

Threats

The US-Turkey Relationship Is Undergoing Death By a Thousand Slights

Here's what makes Ankara the reluctant and very important U.S. ally it is today. By Steven A. Cook

Defense Systems

NSA chief details 'real' threats to US networks, infrastructure

Adm. Mike Rogers tells Congress DOD is halfway to building a cyber force capable of defending the nation's networks.

Ideas

Time for the Exceptional Superpower To Act Like It

The U.S. needs to remind the world of its dominance. Holding the line will not do and will not work. By Robin Shepherd

Science & Tech

Will Veterans' Data Ever Truly Be Secure?

The VA’s chief information officer told a House committee that the agency’s domain controllers are secure. By Frank Konkel

Policy

Did Rand Paul’s NSA Vote Fight Government Spying or Protect It?

The libertarian says his opposition to a Senate bill protected Americans’ privacy. Privacy advocates disagree. By Dustin Volz