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The Syrian Democratic Forces Chief Just Called Me. Here’s What He Said.
“This is going to jeopardize all the achievements we've made with the coalition against ISIS,” said Mazlum Abdi.
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The US Is Trying to Restore Deterrence in the Gulf. That Won’t be Enough
Iran and Saudi Arabia are locked in a security dilemma. Here are some potential ways out.
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The US Government Keeps Too Many Secrets
American officials classify too much information, from the trivial to the politically inconvenient. The overreliance on secrecy invites abuse.
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A National-Security Problem Without Parallel in American Democracy
Democrats — candidates and lawmakers alike — should make it clear that they will impose consequences on any country that meddles with voting.
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The Hidden Damage of Trump’s Secret War in Somalia
Terrorist activity is not discernably declining, even as U.S. military activity and alleged civilian deaths rise.
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Democrats Should Not Give New Nukes to a President They Want to Impeach
National security concerns about Trump are only the latest reason Sen. Jack Reed should kill the new sub-launched warhead.
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The Strangely Quiet Visit of Germany’s New Defense Minister
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer’s do-little trip to Washington shows the uncertain state of U.S.-German relations.
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Why the Whistle Was Blown
The National Security Council’s procedures are a practical manifestation of values—and Trump’s disregard for NSC rules reflects his rejection of those values.
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How ‘National Security’ Took Over America
When the two-word phrase became a national obsession, it turned everything from trade rules to dating apps into a potential threat to the United States.
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The Call Was Coming From Inside the White House
After 2016, Americans focused on the threat of election interference from abroad. What they overlooked was the danger at home.
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The Whistle-Blower Really Knows How to Write
As an intelligence report, the complaint against Trump holds up well. The author carefully explained where the information came from and left investigators a number of concrete leads.
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Acting DNI Shows Why Generals and Admirals Should Not Become Top Civilians
Joseph Maguire, a retired three-star, was all too desperate to find a higher civilian authority whose orders to obey.
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The Air Force's Kessel Run Is the John Travolta of Defense Acquisitions
Right now, the much-hyped software-development office is doing fine work. Let’s remember that when the inevitable backlash arrives.
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Trump’s Incriminating Conversation With the Ukrainian President
The White House said a transcript of the call would be exculpatory—but the summary it released only adds to the problems facing Trump.
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Why America Needs Ukraine
Trump’s push to get Ukraine’s new president to do his political bidding threatens to undermine a key U.S. partnership in countering Russia.
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America Is Abandoning the International Systems that Made It Great
Though Trump has accelerated its decline, the crisis of multilateralism has much deeper roots.
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On Iran, Trump Needs UN Help. He May Even Know it.
Maximum pressure isn't working. Tehran isn't backing down. Can the president woo a body that laughed at him last year?
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The Most Dangerous Moment of the Trump Presidency
The U.S. president has never clarified what he wants from Iran. Now all of his real options are bad.
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