Ideas

Inside The World's Most Radical Experiment in Women’s Rights

The women’s movement in northern Syria is more like a women’s earthquake, in politics, governance, and the region's security.

Ideas

An Advise-and-Assist Commander Has Advice for the US Army's New Partner-Trainers

Security Force Assistance Brigades, or SFABs, are a great concept, but even the best ideas have limitations and room for improvement.

Policy

How the Nunes Memo Harms Intelligence Oversight

The document’s lasting effect will be undermining the ability of Congress to prevent political abuses of surveillance powers.

Ideas

How Trump Just Might Close Guantanamo Prison

The president asked SecDef and Congress to ensure that detention policies support warfighting aims. That should mean shutting Gitmo down.

Ideas

Stop Turkey's Bombardment Of Our People

What is happening now in Afrin is in clear defiance of all international laws, norms, and values. We will fight. But we shouldn’t have to.

Threats

Want to Understand the Future of War? Talk to Chuck Krulak

As Marine commandant, Krulak bucked Pentagon wisdom and rebuilt the Corps for small, messy conflicts. Now his ideas run through the National Defense Strategy, urban-ops doctrine, and Jim Mattis' head.

Ideas

Nuclear Nuts: Trump's New Policy Hypes The Threat and Brings Us Closer to War

The Pentagon's Nuclear Posture Review only bends reality to fit Trump’s warped views.

Ideas

Americans Are Rising to This Historic Moment

The commitment of ordinary citizens to democratic ideals is being tested each day—and its enduring strength is containing the damage of Trump’s presidency.

Ideas

Trump’s National-Security Strategy Is Focused on Great Powers. He Isn’t.

On Tuesday, the president rushed past Russia and China to talk about immigrants, terrorism, and North Korea.

Ideas

If We're Going to Export More US Arms, Let's Do It Smarter

Here are some ways to help ensure that rising sales don't undermine American security.

Ideas

Is Trump Preparing for War With North Korea?

The omissions in the State of the Union, and the fate of Victor Cha, all point in the same direction.

Ideas

How the Saudis Drag the US into Perpetual War in the Mideast

With ISIS essentially gone from Syria, it's time to bug out, no matter what the Kingdom thinks.

Ideas

Russia Is Poised to Surprise the US in Battlefield Robotics

How? It's a story of leaders' unusual agreement, a focus on fast-and-cheap production, and a decision to field lethal robots for combat.

Ideas

The US Navy's Next Frigate Should Jumpstart a Revitalization of the Defense Industrial Base

As it searches for a good design at a good price, the Pentagon should bear in mind decades-old lessons about manufacturing's ties to national security.

Ideas

The Most Dangerous Word in the Draft Nuclear Posture Review

By insisting that future arms control agreements be “enforceable,” the Trump administration could substitute military strikes for diplomacy.

Ideas

Give the Low-Yield SLBM its Day in Court

There are advantages to lowering the yields on a portion of America's nuclear-tipped sub-launched ballistic missiles.

Ideas

The Entirely Rational Basis For Turkey's Move Into Syria

Nearly a century of mistrust of America and an obsession with defeating the Kurds sparked its operation in Afrin.

Ideas

What We Didn't Learn from Twitter's News Dump on Russiagate

The social-media company downplayed its role in Russia's election meddling. But it's still more transparent than Facebook.

Ideas

How Should the Pentagon Reshape Its Mideast Posture? Four Indicators to Watch

A tour of possible scenarios reveals what U.S. policymakers ought to be focused on as they chart the future of regional force posture.