Ideas

The US Navy Didn’t Take My Reporting Seriously

Emails obtained using a FOIA request reveal how naval officers really feel about critical reporting.

Ideas

Treat Guantanamo Detainees in the United States

There’s no other practical way to fulfill our moral and legal obligations toward our prisoners.

Ideas

How Is Iran Worse Than Saudi Arabia?

A rational foreign policy would view Tehran as a normal regional power jockeying with equally sharp-elbowed foes. 2020 Democrats can lead the way.

Ideas

In the Pacific, US Army Must Be a Running Back Who Blocks

Joint success in the world’s largest theater requires the service to accept supporting roles, an Army War College study finds.

Ideas

Can Congress Use Fines to Pry Loose the Full Trump-Russia Report?

The legal framework governing situations such as this is seldom used and little known.

Ideas

Great Power Rivalry Is Also a War For Talent

China’s military is working harder to find and keep good people. The U.S. must step up its own efforts.

Ideas

Time to Pull US Nuclear Weapons Out of Turkey

Storing nuclear weapons close to trouble is a bad idea, and giving Ankara a shared finger on the nuclear trigger is rapidly losing its charm.

Ideas

Take It From an Iraq War Supporter—War With Iran Would Be a Disaster

It would mean repeating a mistake, only on a much bigger scale: without allies, without justification, and without any plan at all.

Ideas

The US Should Be Strengthening Deterrence. The Opposite Is Happening.

Instead of debating no-first-use policies and other potential advancements, Trump is undermining an alliance system built over decades.

Ideas

Who Wins When US-Iran Tensions Rise? China

The Sino-Iranian relationship advances Chinese interests — and particularly when Washington tries to turn the screws on Tehran.

Ideas

Trump’s Counter-Iran Moves Are Provocative, But They’re Not War

Truly bad messaging is undermining trust among allies and the American public — and increasing the chance of accidental escalation.

Ideas

The Next ‘South China Sea’ Is Covered in Ice

The State Department will soon have a permanent presence in Greenland for the first time since the 1950s.

Ideas

Russia Has Americans’ Weaknesses All Figured Out

Election interference is one front in Moscow’s larger campaign to undermine the U.S. without prompting a military response.

Ideas

Trump’s ‘Maximum Pressure’ Won’t Make Iran Yield

The one thing Tehran would find more intolerable than the crushing impact of sanctions is raising the white flag because of them.

Ideas

How to Really Honor the Troops

Thousands of soldiers have successfully led combat units without committing atrocities. Pardoning war crimes dishonors them.

Ideas

The Brain of the Pentagon

Andrew Marshall leaves behind an American tradition of strategic thinking that will live well beyond him.

Ideas

Some Cautionary Notes on the New ‘Knife Missile’

Will the blade-wielding Hellfire variant actually reduce civilian casualties? Maybe.

Ideas

Trump’s Bet on Kim Might Not Pay Off

All that’s preventing the collapse of talks is that North Korea’s missiles haven’t flown far enough yet.

Ideas

The Slow Death of the Iran Nuclear Deal

Tehran says it will stop complying with elements of the accord unless the countries that remain live up to their commitments. But those five states are unlikely to stand up to U.S. pressure.

Ideas

Tech Companies Are Deleting Evidence of War Crimes

Algorithms that take down “terrorist” videos could hamstring efforts to bring human-rights abusers to justice.