Ideas
We Welcome China In Djibouti, Just As We Welcomed The West
Djibouti’s foreign minister pushes back on assertions China is elbowing Americans out of the strategic East African footprint.
Business
Saudi Losses in Yemen War Exposed by US Tank Deal
The U.S. State Department says Riyadh can buy 153 Abrams tanks, 20 of which will replace ones destroyed in combat.
Ideas
Military Coups Have Become Less Common, But More Successful
Coup d’etat attempts have been growing less frequent across the world, particularly since the end of the Cold War.
Ideas
Following the Failed Coup, Erdogan’s Broken Democratic Promise to Turkey Lives On
No politician in Turkey’s history has managed to master democracy better than President Erdogan, only to hold it hostage for his own political ends.
Ideas
Is Global Terrorism Getting Worse? Depends on Your Definition
Civil war is driving many recent attacks, and that blurs both statistics and remedies.
Ideas
It's Time for America to Distance Itself From Saudi Actions in Yemen
Riyadh is killing civilians with American help, and it’s jeopardizing the international credibility of the United States.
Business
Slumping US Helicopter Market Forces Sikorsky to Look Overseas
Eight months after buying Sikorsky in an 'excess capacity' market, Lockheed is signing partnerships with non-US companies.
Ideas
How the Kurds Drove Turkey Back to Israel (and Two Other Reasons for the Deal)
The Turks want to forestall any Israeli declaration of support for Syrian Kurdish independence aspirations, but distrust and resentment remain.
Ideas
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Are Shaping the Future of the Middle East
The Guards, particularly the Quds Brigade, now numbering about 15,000, are in the forefront of projecting Iranian influence.
Ideas
Time to Move the 5th Fleet? How US Appeasement Is Undermining Bahrain's Stability
The government crackdowns that followed the Obama administration’s decision to lift an arms ban have only stirred up dissent.
Threats
The US is Raiding its Global Bomb Stockpiles to Fight ISIS
The anti-ISIS coalition has dropped more than 41,500 bombs, leading the Pentagon to borrow from stockpiles in other regions.
Ideas
There Are No Good Alternatives to the US-Saudi Relationship
Obama’s former Mideast advisor also says the administration did just enough in Syria to perpetuate the conflict without resolving it.
Ideas
Obama's Last Chance To Change the Saudi Arabia Playbook
The U.S. can't be the sole guardian of the Gulf forever. It's time to bring in some more friends.
Ideas
America Can't Do Much About ISIS
That leaves patience, containment, and humanitarian aid as the least-bad policies while waiting for this awful war to play itself out.
Ideas
What the US Gives Its Mideast Partners Isn’t Always What They Need
Instead of 'prestige weapons' worth billions, look at UAE’s special operators or Palestine’s security forces.
Ideas
In Increasingly Turbulent Middle East, US-Saudi Partnership Is Indispensable
A former EUCOM deputy commander looks makes the case for even tighter bonds with Riyadh.
Threats
How Syria’s Uprising Spawned a Jihad
Five years ago, the opposition to Bashar al-Assad was mostly peaceful and secular. What happened?
Policy
If Trump Wins, Expect Thousands of Defense Jobs to Move to Europe
The GOP frontrunner's anti-Muslim comments could prompt U.S. allies to shop elsewhere for arms.
Ideas
Here's How Easily a Wanted War Criminal Can Travel the Globe
Sudan's pledges of support against enemies of the West and Saudi Arabia have greased the skids for alleged war criminal and President Omar al-Bashir's 21-country world tour.
Ideas