Ideas
China Is Quietly Reshaping the World
The staggering scope of the country’s infrastructure initiative—and what it means for the international order.
Ideas
America Has Become Dispensable in Iraq
The conflict in Kirkuk offers further evidence of Iran’s steady rise.
Ideas
Let's Walk This Through: If North Korea Launches An ICBM, Then...
It takes a lot of rosy assumptions to get to President Trump’s 97% chance of success.
Ideas
Can the United States Broker Peace Between Iraq and the Kurds?
Washington should respond to sectarian conflict near Kirkuk by seeking to preserve a united Iraq while supporting Kurdish autonomy.
Ideas
The War on ISIS Held the Middle East Together
With the fall of Raqqa, the sad story will pick up exactly where it left off in 2014.
Ideas
How the US Air Force Made Its ISR Network Cheaper to Run and Easier to Upgrade
Real-world lessons from a leader of the three-year effort to convert DCGS to open architecture.
Ideas
Donald Trump, Dealbreaker
The president's America First policy is causing the U.S. to withdraw from the world.
Ideas
The Real Lessons of Vietnam — and Afghanistan
As the Trump administration reshapes American strategy, they should look to history for guidance, yet understand that it offers no blueprint.
Ideas
Ending America's Paralyzed Iran Policy
Decertifying the nuclear deal without walking away gives the Trump administration an opening to confront the Islamic Republic’s foreign meddling.
Ideas
The 2% Benchmark Is Blinding Us to NATO Members’ Actual Contributions
It is far more revealing to look at the forces and capabilities each country sends abroad on alliance missions.
Ideas
Should the US 'Send In the Marines' After Hurricanes?
The military can make a big difference right away but humanitarian deployments should generally be rare and brief.
Ideas
Ending the Iran Deal is An Invitation to War
Two former Pentagon officials game out the dangerous consequences of de-certifying the agreement.
Ideas
12 Keys to Successful National Defense Strategy Planning
As the Pentagon preps this year's version of the report formerly known as the QDR, a new study gleans practical advice from past efforts.
Ideas
The US Army’s Reset Is Underway — and Threatened by Budget Chaos
Don’t let Congressional fecklessness reverse hard-won combat readiness and upcoming leaps in capability.
Ideas
Don’t Think of Syrian Opposition Groups as ‘Moderates’ vs. ‘Extremists’
The United States and its allies ought to think in terms of 'viable partners,’ ‘irreconcilables,’ and ‘unknowns.’
Science & Tech
North Korea Is Testing Not Just Bombs, But the Entire Global Nuclear Monitoring System
It is a miracle of statecraft and science that this collaborative international infrastructure has actually come into being.
Ideas
Why Tactical Nuclear Weapons Are Still A Thing
In the debate over low-yield nukes, opposing camps are largely talking past each other. Here are some thoughts about why they remain necessary.
Ideas
The Pentagon Has the World’s Largest Logistics Problem. Blockchain Can Help
DoD should join other logistics-heavy organizations in experimenting with the cryptography-messaging-accounting technology that powers Bitcoin.
Ideas
Closing the Taliban’s Office in Qatar Would Be a Historic Mistake
With no military solution in Afghanistan, the US needs credible interlocutors to end the war — like the ones who secured the Bergdahl deal.
Science & Tech