Ideas
On Iran, Trump Needs UN Help. He May Even Know it.
Maximum pressure isn't working. Tehran isn't backing down. Can the president woo a body that laughed at him last year?
Ideas
The Most Dangerous Moment of the Trump Presidency
The U.S. president has never clarified what he wants from Iran. Now all of his real options are bad.
Ideas
For Saudi Arabia, What Now?
Riyadh has military options for retaliating against Iran. The Trump administration needs to persuade Saudi leaders not to use them.
Ideas
Imagine If Obama Had Done This
Republicans have tolerated plenty of foreign-policy moves by Trump that they would never have let his predecessor get away with. Will that continue with Iran?
Ideas
If This Isn’t Impeachable, Nothing Is
Trump reportedly pressured a foreign government for help against a potential electoral opponent.
Threats
Trump Approves ‘Defensive’ Deployment to Middle East
The U.S. will increase air and missile defenses from Iran at the request of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Pentagon leaders said.
Policy
How Trump is Remaking Republican Foreign Policy
Out: neoconservatism and noninterventionism. In: a reactionary style that may outlast his administration.
Ideas
Robert O’Brien Should Have to Face Senate Confirmation
Requiring congressional approval would be good for Trump, good for his choice for national security adviser, and good for the country.
Policy
Trump Names Robert O’Brien His 4th National Security Advisor
A lawyer by trade, former Bush delegate at the UN, and campaign advisor to Mitt Romney and Scott Walker, O’Brien has been serving as special envoy for hostage affairs.
Ideas
The Saudi-Oil Attacks Aren’t Game-Changing. They Show How the Game Has Changed
International norms and laws on proxy warfare encourage bad behavior. It’s time to change that.
Ideas
The US Military is Not, and Can Never Be, Afghanistan’s Police
If we were 'almost a police force' in Afghanistan, we already would have won.
Ideas
Everyone Is Getting Sucked Into the Iran Morass
The U.S. threatened Iran after an attack on a Saudi oil field sent global energy prices soaring, showing how the tensions affect literally everyone.
Science & Tech
The US Government Will Spend $1B on AI Next Year — Not Counting the Pentagon
That's the latest estimate from the White House. But industry experts say it might not be enough.
Policy
Mike Pompeo Is Bigger Than the Pentagon — For Now
“I think that Pompeo is now running foreign policy in the Trump administration in the way that Cheney ran it in the Bush administration,” said one analyst.
Ideas
Bolton’s Departure Signals Trump’s Foreign-Policy Pivot
The president is turning away from conflict and toward diplomacy—and that will shape his choice of the next national security adviser.
Ideas
Trump OKs Ukraine Aid — But That’s Not the Right Choice
America doesn’t gain anything by escalating an unwinnable war on Russia’s border.
Ideas
A Terrific Deal—For the Taliban
The president should have to answer for the Afghanistan mess in the 2020 election.
Ideas
John Bolton Will Hold This Grudge
His dismissal by tweet came after an unusually long prelude of disrespect, both by President Trump and by favored allies.
Ideas
The White House’s Impossible Job
The problem is not that Trump failed to get along with John Bolton—it’s that he doesn’t want a national security adviser in the first place.
Ideas