Ideas
Ep. 27: CENTCOM's Gen. Votel; Exosuits and super soldiers; Weaponizing social media and more.
Welcome to our podcast about the news, strategy, tech, and business trends defining the future of national security.
Threats
Mattis Sets 30-Day Deadline for Yemen Ceasefire
“We’ve admired this problem for long enough down there,” the defense secretary said.
Threats
'Extraordinarily Important': Top US General Defends Saudi Relationship, Yemen War
‘I think it is better if we are engaged,” CENTCOM commander Gen. Joseph Votel says in an interview.
Policy
What Mattis Said in the Middle East
The defense secretary said he pressed his Saudi counterpart on the murder of a U.S.-based journalist, but U.S.-Saudi relations appear little changed.
Threats
Mattis Treads Carefully on Khashoggi Crisis
The defense secretary condemned the killing of the Washington Post columnist but did not accuse Saudi Arabia, in keynote speech at security conference on the Persian Gulf.
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
The Week That Tied Mideast Experts in Knots
Sanctions are not always bad, engagement is not always good, and transactional policy cuts both ways.
Policy
US Military Leaders Keep Quiet on Saudi Arabia Amid Khashoggi Outrage
The Pentagon has long accepted Saudi abuses as the price of friendship. The latest won’t change that.
Policy
The Khashoggi Affair Will Change the US-Saudi Relationship
Even if the storm largely blows over, U.S. law means some aspects will never be the same.
Policy
Khashoggi Situation Won’t Stop Saudi Arms Sales, But Could Slow Them
When it comes to blocking U.S. arms sales to foreign countries, Congress has a mixed track record.
Ideas
Human Rights Have Evaporated from America’s Saudi Policy
The administration’s reticence about the disappearance of a Saudi journalist is offensive, but it’s also clarifying.
Ideas
What Happens to the World When America Stops Standing for What’s Right?
The disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi drives home the consequences of the Trump administration’s refusal to champion democratic values around the globe.
Ideas
Congress Is Forcing a Reluctant White House to Confront Saudi Arabia
The Jamal Khashoggi crisis may finally push lawmakers to put real pressure on Mohammed bin Salman.
Ideas
The UAE Will Shape the Future of Yemen
As the United Arab Emirates’ bloody war against the Houthis drags on, it’s also playing a key role in the fight against al-Qaeda.
Ideas
Ep. 21: How to kill a drone; Toward a smarter, cheaper US presence in the Middle East and more.
Welcome to our podcast about the news, strategy, tech, and business trends defining the future of national security.
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.
Threats
How Jalaluddin Haqqani Went From US Ally to Foe
Influential for decades, the Haqqani network has lately been melding with the Taliban.
Ideas