Ideas
A Victory in the Battle Against Mass Destruction
There are still plenty of things to be worried about, but one thing is clear: securing and destroying Syria's known chemical weapons stockpile was a major victory. By Joseph Cirincione and Geoffrey Wilson.
Policy
Rand Paul’s Iraq Plan: More Obama, Less Cheney
Rand Paul’s noninterventionism toward Iraq may be the Republicans' best chance to retake security supremacy -- and the White House. By Molly O’Toole
Threats
A Political Solution to Iraq Crisis Won’t Come Easy
Secretary of State John Kerry is urging Iraq to create a new government – but that’s going to take time as ISIL fighters continue to advance. By Stephanie Gaskell
Defense Systems
Army to test low-altitude UAV flights
The Maneuver Battle Lab and Georgia Technical Research Institute will try out software for high-speed, close-to-the-ground autonomous navigation.
Defense Systems
Army adding to its supply of Manpack radios
General Dynamics and Rockwell Collins are delivering 1,500 more of the two-channel, software-defines battlefield systems.
Policy
Iraq Was the Last Thing Obama Needed
Team Obama's next generation worldview -- and national security policy -- have missed time and again. By James Oliphant
Ideas
Maliki Isn’t The Problem. Oil Is.
Oil states are almost always autocracies and rarely politically inclusive, and it’s easy to understand why. By Nora Bensahel
Science & Tech
The Military Now Has X-Ray Guns
Want a handheld blaster to look through walls? Enjoy. By Patrick Tucker
Threats
The Rise of Militarized NGOs
Governments disguising soldiers as civilians and recruiting civilian insurgents are old practices. But in the 21st century, they've acquired unprecedented potential as tools of war. By Moisés Naím
Ideas
Intimidation, Cronyism, Repression: The Unfortunate Legacy of Iraq's Nouri al-Maliki
Maliki’s personal history shaped his winner-take-all view of Iraqi politics. Years of bloody civil war followed immediately by the Arab Spring have only made matters worse. By Mohamad Bazzi
Policy
The GOP Thinks Obama Learned His Lesson On Benghazi
After Benghazi, Republicans are happy to see the president beef up embassy security in Iraq. By Sarah Mimms
Threats
This Is Why Many of Iraq's Forces Dropped Their Weapons
Inside the rapid disintegration of a security force the U.S. spent more than $25 billion to build. By James Kitfield
Ideas
The Difficult and Probably Only Answer to Iraq and Syria's Problems
Former State and Defense Department official Leslie Gelb sees a way to counter the ISIL wedge that's prying Iraq and the region apart at its seams. It's not easy, but it just might be the most realistic way forward. Interview by Bernard Gwertzman
Defense Systems
Marine vehicles could soon have anti-drone laser guns
The Office of Naval Research is leading a program to develop a laser system small enough for a Humvee.
Ideas
The New Map of the Middle East
Seven years ago, I wrote it was time to redraw the post-World War I borders of the Middle East. ISIS is right, that map that has no future. By Jeffrey Goldberg
Ideas
What the U.S. Could Do to Keep Putin Out of Ukraine
Former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski's shares his recent take on the best U.S. and NATO options amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis. By Janine Davidson
Threats
Chaos in Iraq's Oil Fields Is Shifting the World's Attention Back to Saudi Arabia
Gains made by marauding extremists in Iraq's north are already shaking up the global energy market. Here's what it could mean for Saudi Arabia's importance to the world. By Steve LeVine
Business
Robert Gates on How to Survive–and Thrive–Despite Bureaucracy
Lessons from former Defense Secretary Gates on being part of the solution despite the problems inherent in enormous organizations. By Mark A. Abramson and Paul R. Lawrence
Science & Tech
The Government Probably Has More Photos of You Than of ISIL's Leader
The U.S. government probably has more biometric information on you than one of the most infamous terrorist masterminds alive. By Patrick Tucker
Threats