Threats

Can Obama Get Congress To Help Him Fight Terrorism?

Of all the things he will propose Tuesday night, Obama’s biggest challenge remains getting buy-in from Congress on foreign policy. By Lauren Fox

Threats

7 Defense Issues That Should Be In the State of the Union Address

If history is a guide, the president is likely to look increasingly abroad in the final phase of his last term. Here are 7 defense-related issues to look out for in Tuesday night's address. By Janine Davidson

Business

White House To Disclose New Changes to NSA Spying

The intelligence community will release more information about post-Snowden changes to its surveillance programs by the end of the month. By Dustin Volz

Science & Tech

The Limits of the White House’s Cybersecurity Plan

Could the White House initiative have stopped the Sony hack? By Dustin Volz

Science & Tech

Obama Invokes Sony, CENTCOM Hacks in Calling for Cybersecurity Action

The president told lawmakers Tuesday he intends to highlight his administration’s renewed cyber efforts in his State of the Union address. By Dustin Volz

Policy

Feinstein's Uphill Battle To Permanently Ban the Use of Torture

After the release of the Senate ‘torture report,’ Feinstein faces a tough battle to make the ban permanent. By Molly O’Toole

Policy

Obama’s No-Show in Paris March Was a 'Mistake,' White House Says

Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that the Obama administration 'should have sent someone with a higher profile' to the unity rallyin France this weekend. By Marina Koren

Policy

Obama Sidelines Mexico Security Issues During Presidential Visit

The U.S.-Mexico security partnership is threatened by accusations of corruption and human rights abuses. By Molly O’Toole

Policy

What a Homeland Security Shutdown Would Look Like

If the new Congress can't cut a deal with the president on Department of Homeland Security funding, here's what could happen come March. By Rachel Roubein

Policy

Feinstein Sends Obama Instructions for Stopping the 'Future Use of Torture'

Sen. Feinstein is putting pressure on the president to create a permanent ban on the CIA’s ‘enhanced interrogation’ practices. By Dustin Volz and Kaveh Waddell

Ideas

Obama's Handling of Castro Is a New Blueprint for Dealing With Dictators

Dictators are fickle creatures, but not all that difficult to figure out. By Jake Flanagin

Threats

Why the US Can't Punish North Korea

The FBI formally accused the isolated country of the Sony hack, but the White House is basically powerless to do anything to respond. By Adam Chandler

Threats

Obama Says the North Korea Hack Was ‘Cybervandalism,’ Not Cyber War

President Obama calls the Sony hack a reminder to do a lot more to guard against them.’ By Allen McDuffee

Ideas

Is Obama’s ‘Iraq First’ Strategy Working Against ISIS?

The Obama administration believes it can tackle problems in Iraq first, then Syria, but will that make things better or worse down the road? By Gayle Tzemach Lemmon and Stephanie Gaskell

Policy

The Cuba Deal: Why Now?

It comes down to two words: biology and technology. By Moises Naim

Threats

America Is Learning the Hard Way How To Respond to Cyber Threats

The Obama administration's caution in responding to the alleged North Korean hack on Sony Pictures illuminates the boundaries of national cyber security policy. By Adam Segal

Policy

Why US Policy Toward Cuba Was 'Self-Defeating'

After 50 years of trying one thing, and seeing that thing fail, and fail again, it was about time that the United States try something else. By Jeffrey Goldberg

Threats

How Pope Francis Helped Broker the US-Cuba Deal

The leader of Catholic Church was a crucial figure in brokering the landmark deal between the United States and Cuba. By Adam Chandler

Policy

Obama Restores Diplomatic Ties With Cuba After More Than 50 Years

President Obama swaps prisoners with Cuba and changes the course of history. By Molly O’Toole

Ideas

Despite Torture Report, Obama Is Standing By the CIA

President Obama is showing solidarity with the CIA even as it deals with the fallout of the release of the Senate’s torture report. By James Oliphant