Author Archive
Ideas
Trump’s War on the Intelligence Community Is Also About US Elections
With a loyalist as acting director of national intelligence, the official line on issues like Russian election meddling could bend closer to the president’s.
Ideas
The Inconvenient Truth About ISIS
The group is even bigger now, and America’s conflict with Iran is only making the fight against it more complicated.
Ideas
The Soleimani Assassination Is America’s Most Consequential Strike This Century
The U.S. attack against the top Iranian general will have far greater repercussions than the killings of al-Qaeda and ISIS leaders.
Ideas
The Intelligence Fallout From Trump’s Withdrawal in Syria
The chaotic withdrawal from Syria will severely weaken U.S. efforts in the country—and could also be a boost for Russia and Iran.
Ideas
The Forever War Fought by America’s Allies
The U.S.-backed soldiers who battled ISIS across Syria and Iraq could be locked in the struggle for a very long time.
Ideas
The US Government Keeps Too Many Secrets
American officials classify too much information, from the trivial to the politically inconvenient. The overreliance on secrecy invites abuse.
Ideas
Why America Needs Ukraine
Trump’s push to get Ukraine’s new president to do his political bidding threatens to undermine a key U.S. partnership in countering Russia.
Threats
China’s Spies Are on the Offensive. Can the US Fend Them Off?
Recent events suggest Beijing has increased both the scope and the sophistication of its efforts to steal American secrets.
Ideas
The Fight Against White Nationalism Is Different
The fight against ISIS offers some lessons—but also a cautionary tale on U.S. failures to combat an ideology.
Ideas
Iran Is Acting Like the International Villain of Trump’s Prophecy
Any number of relatively mundane scenarios now have the potential to escalate U.S.-Iran tensions—from a fire at a militia base to the seizure of an oil tanker to the signal-jamming of a drone.
Threats
How to Navigate the Fog of War on Iran
The question of how to read U.S. intelligence on Iranian threats—and how to respond to them—is at the center of a debate over military escalation.
Featured eBooks
Threats
The Partisan Divide on How to Read the Intelligence on Iran
Adam Schiff lays out his worries on the intelligence, but the Trump administration is pushing back.
Threats