Policy
Why John McCain Matters More than the GOP Realizes
Without McCain, Republicans have no clear leader on defense issues. Not that they ever listen to him, anyway.
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Ukraine Is Losing Fewer Weapons to Theft, but High-Level Corruption Persists
A member of the Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee says the international community must leverage its security aid to force reforms.
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Is Russia Really with Assad in Syria?
Moscow appears to be preventing a total Assad victory in a bid to boost its international standing.
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The Summer of Misreading Thucydides
There’s a delicious irony in the Trump team’s affection for the historian—who repeatedly shows how populists lead societies to ruin.
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Don’t Enshrine A Russian Advantage In Surveillance Flights Over the US
Provisions in the House version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act would prevent the Pentagon from matching Russia’s advances in aerial photography.
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A Mercenary-Led Surge Won’t Solve Afghanistan
Private military contractors have spotted an opportunity as America’s longest war grinds on.
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Two Years on, the Iran Deal is Working
It is true that Tehran’s behavior in the region has not improved, but the agreement has kept the regime from going nuclear.
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Trump's Syria Ceasefire Is Doomed
It may bring Russia on board, but it hardly acknowledges Iran's role in the war.
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Make It Easier for Americans to Support Military Missions Abroad
Our nonprofit organization helped US commanders provide IED detectors to Iraqis confronting ISIS. Now Congress can make it a model for agile public-private partnerships.
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We Need to Focus on Space; We Don’t Need a 'Space Corps'
The US military’s top space commander wants deeper integration and more resources, not a separate Space Corps.
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The Next Battle: State Department, US Military Divided Over Kurdish Fighters In Syria (And Russia)
Frustrated sources on the ground say the State Department is struggling to get behind the Syrian Kurds and the U.S. military would struggle to proceed without them. As for Russia, well...
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How Can Iraq Rebuild?
Winning the peace means paying for reconstruction — and inevitably, losing money to corruption.
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Trump Gave the Military More Power, But Here’s What Really Concerns Us
A recent major conference on the civ-mil divide revealed a more nuanced picture of America and its armed forces.
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At Trump-Putin Meeting, Start with New START
If the treaty is allowed to disappear, so will the Pentagon’s best tools for divining facts about the Russian nuclear arsenal.
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North Korea Just Called Trump's Bluff. Here's What the US Can Do
Now that Kim Jong-Un has an ICBM, it's time for 'the least of the bad options.'
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How Poland Sets Trump Up for Success With Putin
Trump’s Poland visit could give the American president a strong message – and momentum – for his Putin meeting later this week.
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What Did North Korea's Missile Test Really Change?
When potential death tolls are unthinkably high, it’s like multiplying infinity.
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Why Trump Should Embrace America's Immigrant Soldiers
Immigrants have been part of the armed forces since the Revolutionary War. The administration is considering ending a program that grants some of them citizenship in exchange for their service.
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How ISIS Will Go On Without Mosul
Long after the city is back in the hands of the Iraqi government, it will continue to be a prop for the Islamic State—although an altogether different one.
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