Ideas
Trump Hobbled Efforts to Counter Violent Extremism
The administration cut programs designed to prevent atrocities like Pittsburgh.
Ideas
The Pentagon’s Getting More Secretive — and It’s Hurting National Security
Trump’s DoD is rolling back the kind of basic transparency that prevents waste and fraud, enables Congressional oversight, and promotes public trust.
Ideas
The Fiscal Calm Before the Storm
Next year’s budget will face three pressures that make it unlikely to be characterized as sustained or predictable.
Ideas
In a Post-Khashoggi World, Impunity Will Reign
The ugly geopolitics in the wake of the Saudi journalist’s death point to a new era of impunity.
Ideas
If Not Pipe-Bombs, What Counts as Terrorism in 2018?
There is no consensus—in academia, law, or common usage—on when an attack is more than just a crime.
Ideas
The US Needs a Cybersecurity Civilian Corps
Like the auxiliaries that arose during WWII, a new volunteer organization will help face today’s threats.
Ideas
It’s Unnecessary to Pick Sides in the Gulf. America Should Stop.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are each capable of keeping the other from establishing regional control.
Ideas
Saudi Arabia is Hurting American Interests
After Yemen, Qatar, kidnappings and Khashoggi, it's time to reset the U.S. relationship with the kingdom.
Ideas
Time to Rethink the Price of Partnering With Dictators
Dissidents need to know the U.S. stands with them, also.
Ideas
Trump Is Right to Leave The INF Nuclear Treaty
Despite sensible objections, the US could benefit, and it's hard to see how Russia ever would comply.
Ideas
How to Keep a Cyberattack from Turning into Nuclear War? Keep Talking
Trump’s Pentagon declared that "significant non-nuclear strategic attacks" may invite U.S. nuclear use, but does that matter to North Korea?
Ideas
Stan McChrystal: I Threw Away My Robert E. Lee Painting
“It was not a simple decision,” says the retired Afghanistan war commander.
Ideas
A Serial Killing Spree That Threatens Us All
Can John Bolton be stopped before he further undermines U.S. national security?
Ideas
Three Questions from Last Month’s Giant Vostok Exercise
What should American strategists take away from China’s participation in Moscow’s biggest annual wargames?
Ideas
Why the Idlib Deal Matters
Ankara’s U.S. ambassador says the Turkey-Russia buffer agreement can save even more lives — if other governments will help implement it.
Ideas
Nothing About Trashing the INF Treaty Makes the US Safer
From the strategic and diplomatic realms to the budgetary and tactical levels, Trump’s decision makes no sense.
Ideas
How the Joint Staff Calculated a Defense Program’s Return on Investment
As our office computed the utility of its wargaming grants and library, we learned some things that others in DoD may want to copy.
Policy
Pompeo's Foreign Policy? Follow Trump's Lead
Pompeo has responded to the Khashoggi affair in lockstep with Trump.
Ideas
The Week That Tied Mideast Experts in Knots
Sanctions are not always bad, engagement is not always good, and transactional policy cuts both ways.
Ideas