Ideas
North Korea Is Not De-Nuclearizing
The Trump administration shouldn’t get too excited about Kim Jong Un’s pledge to limit his weapons program.
Ideas
The White House Is Relaxing Drone Exports. Here's a Good Next Step
A 31-year-old arms-control pact governs UAVs as if they were cruise missiles. Our national leadership in the field depends on fixing that.
Ideas
Pompeo’s Secret Korea Trip May Not Save His Nomination, But It Could Save Trump’s Summit
The president needs a "win" somewhere so badly that at the summit he may accept a nuclear freeze and a determined process as a major victory. That is a good thing.
Ideas
The Corker-Kaine Bill Would Codify, not End, the Forever War
The replacement AUMF would formalize a reversal of the Constitution, allowing the president to declare wars and Congress — if it dares — to veto them.
Ideas
Neither Precise Nor Proportionate
Trump’s attack on Syria was unserious but intended to relieve emotional pressure—and in many ways, worse than doing nothing at all.
Ideas
A Trump Doctrine for the Middle East
The region has now been Trump-branded as “a troubled place”—and one America is not particularly interested in helping.
Ideas
Trump's Syria Strategy Actually Makes Sense
And it does not involve a commitment to change the horrible and predictable outcome of the civil war.
Ideas
The Unconstitutional Strike on Syria
AUMF? The Syrian government is not Al Qaeda, nor an affiliate, nor a successor, nor anything except a sovereign nation against which the president has decided to go to war.
Ideas
The Strike May Have Hurt More than It Helped
Far from instilling fear in Assad, it may merely have created a short-term munitions shortage.
Threats
Lawmakers Ask: Where’s the Broader Syria Strategy?
No surprise that Democrats questioned Friday’s retaliatory strike, but even a few GOP defense hawks wondered aloud.
Threats
BREAKING: US, Allies Strike Syrian ‘Chemical Weapons Capabilities,’ Trump Says
The president said deterring the use of chemical weapons is "a vital national security interest” of the United States."
Ideas
I Ran US Border Patrol — And I Support Trump's Call to Deploy the National Guard
Critics have assailed the president’s decision to send troops to the border. But they can provide additional assistance and resources to agents in times of need.
Threats
Mattis Confirms Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria, But No Trump Decision to Strike Yet
The National Security Council discussed options with the president for responding to the attack, but the administration was still syncing up with allies Thursday evening.
Threats
The US Military Budget Shows Just How Deep Donald Trump is Getting Into Syria
Despite Trump's distaste for global entanglements, the U.S. is spending more and more in Syria.
Threats
If Trump Won't Lead in Syria, Someone Else Will
Unless the president can articulate and lead a plan, Syria’s future will be determined by Russia, Iran, and Turkey.
Threats
Assad Defies Another American President
The Syrian strongman saw the red line on sarin as a green light to do everything else.
Threats
What Is America Going to Do About Syria Now?
After the latest suspected chemical attack, the United States has four options.
Ideas
Trumpism: Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Stick
'It’s entirely possible that the blowup is just yet to come,' says one observer of the president’s foreign policy.
Threats
Trump's Militarization of the US-Mexico Border Won't Come Cheap
Both presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush tried it. And both times it was deemed an expensive failure.
Threats