Author Archive
Ideas
Selling F-35s to the Middle East was Never Going to be Easy
To do it, and preserve Israel’s advantage, Trump must reinvigorate the consultative arms sales process with Congress.
Ideas
Where is NATO? And Where is Trump?
The virus is destroying economies and paralyzing societies in ways Russian military planners could only dream.
Ideas
Don’t Be Surprised the Next Time Trump Ends a US Mission
No one knows why the president pulled the plug on Syria now, but NATO and South Korea should be worried.
Ideas
John Bolton Will Not End Well
Wait until Trump starts working with this swamp veteran with bad press and Pentagon push-back who likes to name-drop Edmund Burke.
Ideas
Let’s Call Trump’s Parade What it Is: Another Dangerous Attempt to Divide Us
I know a thing or two about good military ceremonies, and Trump’s parade is a bad idea.
Ideas
Easy There, Blob. With Obama, We Faced A Different Syria
Four years ago, everything was different in Syria. I support these strikes, but two of our worries remain the same: escalation and loss of control.
Ideas
When the House of Trump Met the House of Saud
The Saudi and Trump families looked cozy in their first state visit, but beneath the gilded surface, don’t expect much to change in U.S.-Saudi relations.
Ideas
Obama and Eisenhower, Two Legacies In Arms
On national security, the most illuminating presidential comparison is the one Obama most often made of himself. Barack likes Ike.
Ideas
As Trump's Foreign Policy Emerges, Watch His Temperament in Washington
By what Trump has shown, even where there's policy continuity the world will see Washington as more erratic and less reliable.
Ideas
Will Obama’s Mattis Be Trump’s Mattis?
In General Mattis, Trump picked an insider warrior-diplomat who worked with the Obama administration, respected Hillary Clinton, and knows the Middle East better than most.
Ideas
Inside Obama's Syria Choices (A Guide for Dissenting Diplomats)
Here are six ways we in the administration could’ve approached Syria differently – and why we didn’t.
Featured eBooks
Ideas
The Myth of American Disengagement
For too many in the foreign policy debate, "engagement" is code for unilateral military intervention. Here's a more honest way to measure Obama's record.
Ideas
What’s Wrong with Obama’s National Security Council?
An insider sorts the solid critiques from the amnesiac complaints.
Ideas
In Defense of the Obama Doctrine
Obama is still trying to win Washington over to American power as he sees it: limiting military interventions while convening players for peace.
Ideas
Don't Chase Putin Out of Syria — Let Him Fail On His Own
Putin is no chess master. He overstretched and misstepped in Syria, and U.S. would be wiser to wait him out than chase him out.
Ideas
We Never Thought Training Syrians Would Be Easy
When it comes to building capable foreign forces, one can have all the will, skill, money, and allies – but no guarantees.
Ideas
America's Allies Want More From the US
The next president has to figure out how to give it to them – more presence, more forces, more aid.
Ideas
After Ukraine, NATO's Chance for a New Normal
Can Defense Secretary Ash Carter and European leaders turn NATO's historic Ukraine response into a new future for the alliance?
Threats
35 Years On, It’s Time to Extend the Carter Doctrine
The upcoming Camp David summit may produce a long-sought framework for security in the Middle East.
Ideas