Policy
US Syria Policy Shifts From ‘Assad Must Go’ to ‘Not Right Now’
The UN Security Council backs a blueprint for Syrian peace talks — and papers over powderkeg tensions between the U.S. and Russia.
Policy
Exit Lindsey Graham, Veteran and NatSec Pro
The South Carolina senator and former JAG officer struggled to gain traction throughout the race, even as his signature issue took center stage in recent weeks.
Policy
How Trump and ISIS Help Each Other
They confirm each other's narratives, even from opposite sides.
Policy
The Principled Realism of Rand Paul
On ISIS, the Kentucky senator steers a distinctive course between his party’s neoconservatives and its bellicose populists.
Policy
Trump and Cruz's 'Protectionism' Reveal a GOP National Security Identity in Tatters
The insular vision of the two top-polling candidates poses a sharp challenge to the usual internationalism that has long dominated the Republican party.
Policy
Report: Turkey Has Become the EU’s Enforcer in Bid to Slow Refugees
A damning Amnesty report claims Turkey abused refugees and pressured some to return to war zones.
Policy
Here’s What Each 2016 Candidate Has Said About Using Military Force
The Presidential Candidates Use of Force Tracker aims to capture and better understand the sort of military missions that prospective presidents might pursue.
Policy
A Fractious, Fragmented Republican Debate
The GOP candidates shared a stage in Vegas, but seemed locked in their own, only occasionally intersecting conflicts.
Policy
Clinton Pledges ‘360-Degree’ Homeland Security Strategy, But Can She Turn Around Voters’ Doubts?
After San Bernardino and ahead of the holidays, the former secretary of state says the U.S. can protect both itself and its values.
Policy
When National Security and Nativism Collide
Three months ago, a photo of a drowned Syrian refugee toddler sobered the world. Now even Donald Trump’s Muslims ban hardly shocks it. How did we get here?
Threats
Iraq Does Not Want US, British Ground Troops for ISIS Fight
The U.K. defense secretary says the Iraqi prime minister does not want British or American ground troops and that local forces must overtake Islamic State militants on their own.
Policy
A Senate Vote on Donald Trump's Religious Test
Ted Cruz and three other Republicans oppose an amendment resolving that the country "must not bar individuals from entering into the United States based on their religion."
Policy
Three Minutes With Ted Cruz on National Security
The Texas senator calls for “carpet bombing ISIS” in Iraq and Syria and “whatever is necessary” to defeat the Islamic State.
Policy
Carter to Lawmakers: Don’t Complain About ISIS Strategy When You’re Stalling Funds and Nominations
Responded Sen. John McCain: we won’t keep bankrolling an “absolute failure.”
Ideas
In Town Where Refugees Depart, Trump's Ideas Feel Even More Ludicrous
As Syrian refugee parents fight for food and their children's survival, the policy conversation happening in America could not feel more remote – or more off-base.
Policy
Pentagon Calls Trump’s Muslim Ban 'Counter to National Security'
GOP frontrunner draws extraordinary rebuke from Department of Defense, State, Homeland Security, Congress, and Republican Party leaders.
Policy
On Terrorism, Obama's Break from Bush-Era Thinking Unsettles GOP
Republicans believe defeating ISIS requires some dramatic, if vaguely defined, new military and ideological battle. Obama, by contrast, thinks America simply needs to not screw up.
Policy