Ideas
COVID-19 Offers a Golden Opportunity to Reengage with the Indo-Pacific
But the U.S. must act quickly, lest China turn the pandemic to its own advantage.
Ideas
Unhappy Anniversary: The US ‘Unsigned’ the Arms Trade Treaty a Year Ago
The move has reaped the United States no benefits, and further undermined its international standing.
Ideas
What If Kim Jong Un Dies?
Improvements in U.S.-North Korean relations would still largely be up to Washington.
Ideas
We Need an Atlantic Charter for the Post-Coronavirus Era
This moment presents a once-in-a-century opportunity for American leaders to wrest a better future.
Ideas
The Coronavirus Shows How US ‘Diplomacy’ Is Anything But
Absolutist, America-first approaches isolate us and make us less safe.
Ideas
The US Should Help Iran Get the Coronavirus Under Control
Easing sanctions will help confront a global pandemic and win back some goodwill from ordinary beleaguered Iranians.
Ideas
No One Has Tried This Kind of US-Taliban Deal
A study of nearly 200 modern peace accords shows what has worked. The list doesn't include "negotiate withdrawal, then negotiate peace."
Ideas
Beware a Peace Deal That May Spell War
There are important questions still to be answered about Afghanistan and the United States.
Threats
US Agrees to Reduce Forces in Afghanistan ‘If Taliban Live up To Their Commitments’
The tests will begin with a seven-day ceasefire to start “very soon,” a senior U.S. administration official told reporters.
Ideas
Trump's Attacks on Public Servants Are Hurting America
Self-dealing and disdain for public service reinforce the autocratic conceit that democratic systems are no better than dictatorial ones, and undermine our biggest advantage.
Ideas
To End America’s War in Afghanistan, US Troops Can’t Leave Yet
Walking away out of frustration — especially during peace talks — is as empty a strategy as doubling down out of optimism.
Ideas
Great Powers Must Talk to Each Other About AI
Even as they compete, major militaries have reason to cooperate: to avoid misunderstanding and to establish best practices and pragmatic parameters.
Science & Tech
State Department Still Has Poor Cybersecurity, Audit Finds
Spending more money didn't fix problems auditors have been reporting for more than a decade, State's IG found.
Ideas
US-Iranian Diplomacy Almost Worked. Let’s Try It Again
Direct talks may be too much to ask for at this stage, but tension-reduction measures promoted by third parties are still very plausible.
Ideas
The US Recently Made a Smart Move Toward Iran. Killing Soleimani Wasn’t It
The decision to focus on Tehran’s proxies in the wake of the embassy attack was the right course.
Ideas
In Iraq, the US Gets Hit Where It Hurts
The storming of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad demonstrated that America doesn’t have a monopoly on pressure.
Ideas
As the Rich Get Richer, the Ambassadors Get Worse
Gordon Sondland embodies an age-old problem—one that the flood of donor money into American politics is only exacerbating.
Ideas
What’s Driving Apolitical Diplomats to Get Political
Some former State Department officials are so concerned by Trump’s treatment of America's allies and diplomatic corps that they have begun to advise 2020 Democrats.
Ideas