Ideas
US Officials Just Mislabeled a Syrian Terror Group as al Qaeda. Worse, They’re Missing a Far Bigger Threat
The HTS group is not part of al Qaeda, but at loggerheads with it. Meanwhile, a smaller group is plotting global jihad.
Ideas
The Status Quo Killed 17 US Sailors. The Navy Must Change.
The surface warfare community should embrace, not reject, a congressional mandate to divide new line officers into two specialties.
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Did Congress Just Shut Down Trump’s War Plans for Iran?
The Senate would do well to follow the House’s lead — and go even farther to shut all the backdoors to war.
Ideas
How to Admit Georgia to NATO — Without Triggering a War
Russia’s partial occupation of the Caucasian country has given it a kind of veto on alliance membership. Here's a way around that.
Ideas
North Korea Wants to End up Like Pakistan, Not Libya
A poor country made enormous sacrifices to get nuclear weapons—and has them still.
Ideas
Why Europeans Turned Against Trump
Many see an America pulling away from the world order it shaped, the colossus at twilight, turning inward as other powers rise.
Ideas
Remembering The Ones Memorial Day Honors
Here are stories of five who received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for bravery, for making the ultimate sacrifice.
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What Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un Don't Know About Their Own Standoff
If the Cuban Missile Crisis is any indication, today’s leaders may be dangerously misinformed about the nuclear crisis.
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How to Bring the US-NK Rollercoaster Back to Earth
It starts with a sober assessment of what’s possible. Not on that list: Pyongyang somehow forgetting how to make nukes.
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Trump’s Reckoning Arrives
The president’s unpredictability once worked to his advantage—but now, it is producing a mounting list of foreign-policy failures.
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WTF: A Few Morning Thoughts on US-North Korea Relations
Kim Jong Un doesn’t need to dance with Trump. He’s got his own nuclear weapons.
Ideas
Let’s Talk about Food — and What Happens In a Crisis
Sweden is telling its citizens to be ready to feed themselves for a week. Other nations should follow suit.
Ideas
Back Off, Congress: Don’t Meddle With the US Navy’s Command Philosophy
A proposal to force surface-ship officers to specialize would undermine a conceptual pillar of the world’s dominant naval power.
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Arab Women in Syria, Inspired by Kurdish Sisters, Join the Fight — and the Movement
"There is no difference between us and them, we are both women. What is really important now is women are having a role."
Ideas
Save the Tomahawk
The U.S. Navy wants to stop production of America’s most useful long-range missile, betting that a replacement will arrive without delay.
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The US Should Seize Its Chance to Help Shape a Key Ally’s Capabilities
Britain’s 2015 defence plan fell apart; a new review offers a door to new discussions.
Ideas
Russia Is Back In Africa — and Making Some Very Odd Deals
Since December, Moscow has struck major deals in the Central African Republic with both government and rebel leaders.
Ideas
America’s New Stealth Bomber has a Stealthy Price Tag
Revealing how much the Air Force’s B-21 is costing won’t help America’s enemies — but will make oversight possible.
Ideas
What the North Koreans Told Me About Their Plans
I was one of a handful of former officials to meet with them when they were just developing their current strategy. Those talks offer the best information we have about how to achieve denuclearization.
Ideas