Ideas

Trump’s Border Obsession Is Courting Disaster

The president’s single-minded focus on immigration is shortchanging Homeland Security’s other crucial functions, from election security to emergency response.

Ideas

The Plan to Resurrect the North Korea Nuclear Talks

Trump wants a “big deal” with North Korea. Seoul would like him to settle for something a little smaller.

Policy

Trump Removes Top DHS Staff

The slew of departures, apparently without plan or precedent, drew bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.

Policy

The US Escalates Even Further Against Iran—To What End?

Declaring the country’s most powerful security services a terrorist organization is just the Trump administration’s latest move in a long pressure campaign against Iran.

Threats

Staffing Shortages Impede State Department Monitoring of War-Zone Contracts

Watchdog finds several bureaus allowed questionable invoices to go through.

Ideas

The False Promises of Trump’s Arms Sales

U.S. export deals are undermining regional stability and sending jobs abroad.

Policy

Trump Learns to Live With NATO—And Vice Versa

There are arguments over spending, and all manner of other issues. But the 70-year-old alliance has seen bad times before.

Ideas

Egypt’s President Is Crushing Dissent — and Fueling ISIS

Even if the White House is in denial about al-Sisi’s harm to regional instability, Congress shouldn't be.

Policy

EXCLUSIVE: Patrick Shanahan Says ‘Of Course’ He Wants to Be Defense Secretary

Under increasing scrutiny, the acting secretary — and his allies — make the case for President Trump to nominate him.

Ideas

Trump's Strange Tweet May Have Kept Nuclear Talks Alive

The president is finally reckoning with the role of sanctions in North Korean diplomacy.

Threats

The US Is Running Low on Options to Force Maduro Out

The Trump administration has already deployed visa restrictions, sanctions, and even an embargo on Venezuelan oil. What else is left?

Policy

What Mueller’s Trump-Russia Report Leaves to Do

It’s largely up to Congress to solve the remaining mysteries of the investigation.

Policy

Trump's Golan Announcement Was No Impulse Tweet

The push for Trump to make such a move has been going on for more than a year, due to parallel efforts by Israeli officials and members of Congress.

Ideas

Americans Are Seeing Threats in the Wrong Places

Security means teaching the public which dangers are real and which are not. Trump’s rhetoric isn’t helping.

Ideas

Why Germany Should Further Boost Defense Spending, and Why It Probably Won’t

Also: why the Trump administration should shut up about it.

Science & Tech

Cyber Spending Would Rise $17B Under 2020 Request

More than half would go to the Defense Department to bolster defenses and expand offensive capabilities.

Business

Air Force One: New Estimate Bumps Total Cost By Nearly One-Third

The $5.3 billion price tag is the Pentagon’s first public accounting to include the new hangars and various other costs.

Ideas

The US and North Korea Are Back to Talking Tough

Pyongyang’s latest threats don’t necessarily mean diplomacy is dead. But they are a sign of just how deadlocked nuclear talks have become.

Policy

Trump Picks New Top NATO Commander

Top US Air Force general in Europe will lead alliance as Trump officials continue to berate members for more money.

Policy

Toward ‘Fort Trump’: US Makes Poland a ‘Serious Robust Offer’

Defense Undersecretary Rood visited Warsaw to negotiate a controversial permanent presence.