Author Archive

Sarah Chayes

Sarah Chayes
Chayes's trajectory led her from reporting for National Public Radio in Paris to running a soap factory in downtown Kandahar in the midst of a reigniting Afghan insurgency. Tapped to advise the topmost levels of the U.S. military, she served as special adviser to two commanders of international forces in Afghanistan and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, before a five-year stint at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her work has uncovered the unrecognized reality that severe and structured corruption lies at the root of many international crises, from extremist violence to political uprisings that spin out of control. She is author of Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security, and a forthcoming book on corruption in the United States.
Ideas

Russia Is Waging Asymmetric Warfare Against the US — And We’re Letting Them Win

We must do more to harden against these attacks on our economy, institutions, and the public.

  • Sarah Chayes
Ideas

Acting DNI Shows Why Generals and Admirals Should Not Become Top Civilians

Joseph Maguire, a retired three-star, was all too desperate to find a higher civilian authority whose orders to obey.

  • Sarah Chayes
Ideas

Bibi’s Iran War Tweet Just Backfired

Netanyahu’s ‘war with Iran’ quip is a gift to the regime — and his latest strategic failure.

  • Amir Soltani and Sarah Chayes
Ideas

Start Preparing for the Collapse of the Saudi Kingdom

Saudi Arabia is no state at all. It's an unstable business so corrupt to resemble a criminal organization and the U.S. should get ready for the day after.

  • Sarah Chayes and Alex de Waal
Ideas

The Right Way to Fight Boko Haram — and How the U.S. Should Help

Nigeria’s new president is wrong to separate his terrorism problem from his corruption problem.

  • Sarah Chayes
Threats

In the Name of Security, Nigeria’s Election Charade

To get tough on Boko Haram, US officials need to get tough on Nigerian leaders for their flagrant effort to control the outcome of the election.

  • Sarah Chayes
Ideas

This Is America's Best Shot To Fix the Relationship With Saudi Arabia and Fight Terrorism

The U.S. should use the transition in Riyadh to correct course, adjust its relationship with Saudi Arabia and fight extremism. By Sarah Chayes

  • Sarah Chayes
Ideas

If There Is ‘No Military Solution’ in Iraq, Where Is the Non-Military Solution?

Rather than reducing the motivations for joining ISIS, the U.S. military plan seems bound to add to them. By Sarah Chayes

  • Sarah Chayes
Threats

Inviting Arab States To Fight Terrorism is Just Short-Term Gain, Long-Term Pain

Allying with governments and their militaries that populations detest is no way to curb extremism. By Sarah Chayes

  • Sarah Chayes
Ideas

How Corruption Guts Militaries: The Ukraine Case Study

Ukraine’s ousted strongman, Viktor Yanukovych 'deliberately destroyed the military.' Arming the corrupt networks he left behind would make things worse. By Sarah Chayes

  • Sarah Chayes
Ideas

The Military Must Hunt Corruption, Not Just Terrorists

Too often, strategists don’t see corruption for what it really is: a national security threat. Read the first in a new exclusive series. By Sarah Chayes

  • Sarah Chayes
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