Ideas

How Does This War End? Afghanistan Endgame, Part 2

If the Haqqani network collapses the Afghan government, Pakistan threatens to make winning the next war even more difficult.

Ideas

It Matters Whether Americans Call Afghanistan a Defeat

The public’s judgment about whether the United States won or lost the war will affect civilian-military relations for years to come.

Ideas

‘One Belt One Road’ Is Just a Marketing Campaign. And Yet...

China’s giant project is a poorly coordinated branding effort posing as an infrastructure initiative. But it is also a new kind of strategic challenge for the United States.

Ideas

Trump’s Foreign-Policy Crisis Arrives

Competition between the U.S. and China may be inevitable, but if Trump and Xi mishandle the Hong Kong crisis, they could lose the ability to calibrate.

Ideas

In Afghanistan, Is Sirajuddin Haqqani Ready for Peace?

In peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, the United States should not fail to address the evolution of the Haqqani-al-Qaeda nexus.

Ideas

Weaponizing Biotech: How China's Military Is Preparing for a 'New Domain of Warfare'

Under Beijing's civil-military fusion strategy, the PLA is sponsoring research on gene editing, human performance enhancement, and more.

Ideas

It’s High Time for Germany to Fund, and Fix, Its Military

The country is far from NATO’s 2% budget guideline, and its defense establishment is rife with dysfunction.

Ideas

Our Efforts to Prevent Nuclear Terror Are Shrinking. The Threat Is Not.

Five ideas to help Congress reinvigorate the crucial pursuit of nuclear security.

Ideas

Chinese Propaganda Goes Tech-Savvy to Reach a New Generation

As the Party’s propaganda strategies become more nuanced and sophisticated, so should our frameworks for understanding them.

Ideas

Trump's Thin Skin Is Hurting US National Security

The president’s aides are reluctant even to broach the dangers of white racist violence and electoral interference with him.

Ideas

At Guadalcanal, the US Won Through Cost Imposition. Our Adversaries Do Much the Same Today

The WWII battle has plenty to teach us about 21st-century conflict.

Ideas

Stop the Slaughter of Our Children With These Weapons of War

Assault weapons are designed to kill as many people as possible in the shortest time possible. They are for war; they are not for sport.

Ideas

The Strategy of Violent White Supremacy Is Evolving

The failed approach of “leaderless resistance” gets a second chance in the information age.

Ideas

Who Needs ICBMs?

Spend the money on the other two legs of the nuclear triad, and improve global stability and U.S. security.

Ideas

China’s Credibility Problem

Beijing’s string of violated agreements is starting to weigh heavily on U.S.-China relations.

Ideas

Consider a National-Team Approach to the Next ICBM

Boeing’s decision not to bid on the Air Force’s replacement program doesn’t have to be a disaster.

Ideas

The American Exception

The United States is not the only nation to suffer from white supremacism, but in America, it has proved uniquely deadly.

Ideas

Don’t Peg Troop Withdrawals to the Political Calendar

Reductions in the U.S. presence should be tied to conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.

Ideas

But What About China?

To treat great-power competition as an afterthought is irresponsible, even dangerous. The 2020 presidential candidates did just that.

Ideas

The INF Treaty Lapses Tomorrow. Trump & Putin Should Save It

Stability will ebb and danger rise if the U.S. and Russia allow the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty to lapse on Aug. 2.