Threats
Milley Meets With Taliban In Fragile Peace Negotiations
The Joint Chiefs chairman's meeting comes at a profound moment of uncertainty for the U.S.-brokered talks on Afghanistan.
Threats
NATO Gears Up for Biden, Big Decisions on Afghanistan, China
“We are faced with a very hard and difficult dilemma,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an exclusive interview.
Policy
US Has Achieved ‘Modicum of Success’ in Afghanistan, Top General Says
But years of military stalemate make negotiating with the Taliban the only option, Gen. Mark Milley says.
Ideas
A Better Way to Fight the Forever War
Why leaving a residual force in Afghanistan may be the only way to both end and win the war.
Threats
Trump Orders Hasty Afghanistan, Iraq Drawdowns to Beat Biden Inauguration
Majority Leader McConnell leads chorus of bipartisan, shocked opposition to the 11th hour order read by Acting Defense Secretary Miller.
Policy
What Would a Second Trump Term Mean For Foreign Policy?
The nuts and bolts may shift, but the approach is likely to stay the same.
Threats
Thousands of US Troops Will Remain in Afghanistan Past Christmas
They won't be home for Christmas. Trump's national security advisor says the president was only expressing a "desire" with that tweet.
Ideas
The 20th Year of the Afghanistan War Should Be America’s Last
U.S. national security interests do not depend on the outcome of the peace talks. It’s time to come home.
Policy
All US Troops In Afghanistan To Withdraw By Christmas, Trump Tweets
The bewildering message came just hours after his national security advisor said the United States would draw down to 2,500 by 2021.
Policy
Trump Says He Wanted To Assassinate Syria’s Assad
The revelation further undermines the president’s assertion that he has stood firmly between the Pentagon and war.
Policy
US Announces Troop Cut In Iraq
The announcement makes public plans that have been in the works for months.
Ideas
US Punishes International Criminal Court for Investigating Potential War Crimes in Afghanistan
The court prosecutes genocide, torture and grave wartime abuses worldwide. Trump's executive order imposes on its lawyers and judges the kind of sanctions usually used on foreign terrorists.
Policy
Biden: Trump’s ‘Subservience’ to Putin Is ‘Humiliating’ to the US
“Never before has an American president played such a subservient role to a Russian leader,” the Democratic candidate said.
Policy
Trump: US To Withdraw 4K Troops From Afghanistan By Election
“It’s already planned,” the president said in an interview with Axios.
Ideas
Why Isn’t the US Compensating Families Torn Apart By Its Air Strikes?
The military’s first report on ex gratia payments reveals a dangerous stinginess.
Policy
To Block Trump’s Troop Withdrawals, Congress Turns An Old Tactic Upside Down
Congress historically has tried to force presidents to bring troops home. But in the last three years, lawmakers have repeatedly tried to make laws to do the opposite.
Ideas
The NDAA Should Prompt a Rethinking of Costly U.S. Foreign Policy
The annual defense authorization bill offers a chance to end wars and programs that are not worth their price.
Threats
In Russian Bounties, Former Diplomats See Effort To Mess With US — But Not Much More
Moscow’s strategic calculus is much harder to parse.
Policy
Political Fight Over Russian Bounty on US Troops Appears to Warp Intel Debate
Democrats suspect the White House is trying to paint the assessment as less solid than it is.
Threats