Ideas
Congress Wants a Space-Based Missile Defense System. That’s a Colossally Bad Idea
A provision in the 2019 defense authorization act orders the Pentagon to start development.
Ideas
Stuck Fighting the Last War
It’s 2011—not 2001—that defines the challenge facing the United States and its allies in combatting jihadism.
Ideas
How to Dampen Escalation Risks As Cyber-Attack Rules Loosen
Create standing rules of engagement and maintain the dual-hatted NSA/CyberCommand.
Ideas
Welcome, Class of 2022: Last of the Pre-9/11 Cohort
Your arrival reminds us all to do more to connect America’s citizens to their country’s wars, and its civilians to its veterans.
Ideas
The Weaponization of Everything
So far, the U.S. has mustered no response to China’s and Russia’s widening assault on America’s global stature.
Ideas
Deploy the Next-Gen Missile-Defense Network in Pieces
Instead of waiting for full deployment, the Pentagon should roll out parts of its new command-and-control systems as they become ready.
Ideas
What Next for US-India Military Ties?
A new agreement between top U.S. and Indian officials will deepen military cooperation and bolster strategic ties between the two countries.
Ideas
Russia Can Stop a Slaughter in Idlib
The Syrian province doesn’t have to be the site of another catastrophe. But its fate hangs on the decisions of outside powers.
Ideas
What South Korea Wants from the US Right Now
As Seoul prepares for the third Moon-Kim summit, it is trying to get Washington on the same page.
Ideas
The Woodward Book Comes for James Mattis
A veteran Washington journalist describes the defense secretary as avoiding confrontation and showing respect. But the rest of the book may have blown up that strategy.
Ideas
Syria Is Forcing Former Rebels to Fight Their Friends
The U.S. should withhold reconstruction funds until Assad ends forced conscription and makes other constitutional changes.
Ideas
No One’s Supplanting US Military Influence in Latin America
Concerns about Chinese, Russian, and Iranian forays are overblown.
Ideas
Washington Won’t Keep Rebuffing Moscow’s Cyber Proposals Forever
Here’s where the U.S. will find common ground with the country that attacked its 2016 election.
Ideas
The China Hype
While Beijing’s military gains are impressive, their value fades in the circumstances we’re told to worry about.
Ideas
The US-China Cold War Is Now Playing Out in Pakistan
It is causing a long, tough re-negotiation over the terms of the relationship between Washington and Islamabad.
Ideas
Russia Is Co-opting Angry Young Men
Fight clubs, neo-Nazi soccer hooligans, and motorcycle gangs serve as conduits for the Kremlin’s influence operations in Western countries.
Ideas
John McCain, Nuclear Disarmament, and What Might Have Been
If McCain had become president in 2008, the world might have had far fewer nuclear weapons today.
Ideas
Women Rise as Raqqa Rebuilds Without the World’s Help
Local women and local security are reawakening the Syrian city, with few Americans in sight.
Ideas
The Plan to End the Korean War
An adviser to South Korea’s president explains what it might mean to finally declare the conflict over—and why the proposal has now become a sticking point in nuclear talks.
Ideas