Ideas

How Trump Is Ending the American Era

For all the visible damage the president has done to the nation’s global standing, things are much worse below the surface.

Ideas

It’s Time to Move US Forces Back to Europe

Basing troops abroad will increase their deterrence, make them readier to fight, and even save money.

Ideas

Democracy Remains the Best Path to Security

The U.S. and its democratic partners must rebuild their foreign policies around a basic truth: societies that govern themselves democratically are safer, stronger and more secure.

Ideas

The Hurricanes, National Security, and What Comes Next

Climate change increased the destruction wrought by Harvey and Irma, a fact we must acknowledge if we are to mitigate future disasters.

Ideas

Can North Korea Drag the US and China Into War?

History offers clues about the likely course of a dangerous dynamic in east Asia.

Ideas

What the Iran Deal Can Teach America About North Korea

If credibility depends in part on a country’s willingness to follow through on military threats, surely it also depends on whether it abides by diplomatic commitments.

Ideas

How Al-Qaeda Benefits From America's Political Divisions

If the United States wishes to defeat bin Laden's heirs and the toxic potency of their message, it needs to recommit to its most basic values.

Ideas

Winter Is Here, But the US is Not Ready for Cyber War

How can DHS and Congress protect HBO and Equifax when they're slow to protect their own '.gov' domains?

Ideas

Russia’s Zapad-17 Has Already Succeeded

Moscow’s message of larger-than-life military power has been eagerly amplified by Western politicians and media outlets.

Ideas

On North Korea, More Missile Defense Is Not the Answer

Buying more unreliable interceptors would be a wasteful invitation to disaster.

Ideas

South Korea Is Right

Trump has characterized its policy as “appeasement.” But Seoul’s approach is far more sensible than Washington’s.

Ideas

Building an H-Bomb in Plain Sight

Usually countries build nuclear weapons in secret—but not North Korea.

Ideas

Russia Has 100K Troops On the Move. Here's Why NATO Can't Do the Same

From mismatched rail lines to red tape, a host of obstacles show why NATO needs its own version of Russia's upcoming Zapad 2017 exercise.

Ideas

The Clear Logic of the Latest North Korean Test

Kim Jong Un has a predictable purpose and a plan.

Ideas

As China Rises, the US Must Stop Taking Australia for Granted

Canberra’s and Washington’s strategic preferences for confronting Beijing are diverging. Here’s how to bring them back together.

Ideas

How Mattis May Get Himself in Trouble With Trump

The secretary of defense could run afoul of his boss if his review of the policy on transgender troops follows the facts to their conclusion.

Ideas

The Quite Rational Basis for North Korea's Japan Overfly

With each new missile test, Pyongyang shakes Tokyo’s confidence in Washington, while accruing valuable data on its own capabilities.

Ideas

It Takes a Village to Raze an Insurgency

As the Trump Administration reviews its counter-terrorism policies and strategies, it should apply the lessons of the Village Stability Operations program.