Policy

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Ankara?

The question is not: “Can we live with a rogue Turkey?” but: “Do we have a choice?” said one U.S. official.

Ideas

America's Rivalry With China Is Nothing Like the Cold War

In today’s circumstances, Cold War–era policies are not only unnecessary, but likely to catalyze a destructive spiral of heightening tensions that would make the world a more dangerous place.

Ideas

The Surest Way to Lose to China Is to Disparage Expertise

In this new era of great power competition, we are not investing enough in area specialists.

Ideas

Declaring Mexican Drug Cartels ‘Terrorists’ Is a Bad Old Idea

Trump and Obama policymakers rejected it because it brings no new tools to bear — and quite a few drawbacks.

Ideas

The War-Crimes President

When violence is directed at those Trump’s supporters hate and fear, they see such excesses not as crimes but as virtues.

Threats

How North Korea Soured on Donald Trump

Kim Jong Un only wanted to engage with the president. Now he’s turning on him.

Ideas

How Trump Turned the Military Against Itself

The president’s repeated interference in a Navy SEAL’s case shows that he cares about only one kind of military discipline: obedience to Trump.

Ideas

Loosening Firearms Exports Will Tear at a Larger Arms-Control Fabric

But Congress still has time to block the Trump administration’s proposed changes.

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

Foreign Policy Isn't Just Up To Trump

The president’s defenders argue that U.S. foreign policy is whatever he says it is. Trouble is, that’s not what the Constitution says.

Ideas

America Hasn’t Always Supported Ukraine Like This

For a policy that’s purportedly a pillar of the decades-old international order, military aid to Ukraine is pretty new.

Policy

Trump Officials Meet With Libyan Politician Aligned With Opposition ‘Strongman’ In Potential Policy Shift

US support for the UN-recognized Libyan government is in question after a series of quiet meetings with an enterprising presidential hopeful.

Ideas

'Some of You on this Committee Appear to Believe' That Russia Didn't Meddle in 2016

In testimony, a former senior director for European and Russian affairs on Trump's National Security Council tells lawmakers to stop spreading Moscow's lies.

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

Pompeo Can’t Escape

The secretary of state has been trying to distance himself from the impeachment hearings, but today’s explosive testimony put him at center stage.

Ideas

Ukraine Is Taking a Beating in the Impeachment Hearings

Each new revelation about U.S. attempts to manipulate Kyiv weakens Zelensky ahead of his December meeting with Putin.

Policy

Volker: I Didn’t Realize White House Was Asking for Biden Dirt

In Tuesday testimony, the special envoy to Ukraine said he was not part of the Giuliani-Perry-Sondland backchannel.

Ideas

Democrats Should Debate Arms Policy, Not Just Impeachment

With Congress and the president at odds over Saudi exports and other questions, it’s time to press the candidates about their views.

Ideas

Misguided Immigration Policies Are Endangering America's AI Edge

Green card limits haven’t budged in decades, while new policies make it harder, costlier, and more uncertain for the world’s talent to come to the United States.

Ideas

Trump Wants His Fighters Unbound by the Laws of War. That's Not Going to Help Us

One reason more than 80 countries allied to fight ISIS is that they flagrantly ignored these laws. Now we do too.