Ideas
Building Post-INF Missiles Would Be a Waste, or Worse
New U.S. intermediate-range ground-launched missiles would deliver more undesirable effects than tactical utility.
Ideas
The US, Iran, and the Consequences of Breaking International Law
Some in the U.S. act as if only naked might matters in foreign policy. Yet American policy in Iran and Iraq illustrates something different.
Ideas
Why US Officials Are Revealing More about Cyber Ops
It’s part of a “costly signaling” gambit. Will it deter America’s enemies?
Ideas
Trump’s Threat to Bomb Iran's Cultural Sites Isn’t Just About Art
Throughout history, the destruction of culturally important sites has gone hand-in-hand with violence against civilians.
Ideas
After Years of NATO-Bashing, Trump Asks Allies for Help with Iran
But Britain, Germany, and France believe that everyone's interests are best served by the nuclear deal Trump hates.
Ideas
Don’t Let Iran Tensions Stop the Battle Against ISIS
My recent journey through northern Iraq revealed how fragile the region remains, and how extremism could once again take root.
Ideas
How Quickly Could Iran Get a Nuclear Bomb?
A former National Nuclear Security Administration coordinator explains breakout time — and why it’s getting shorter.
Ideas
What Motivates Chinese Peacekeeping?
China’s unusual status as a top contributor of both funds and troops to the UN's peacekeeping program has stirred suspicion.
Ideas
Trump’s Fixation on the Hostage Crisis Is Driving His Iran Policy
The president’s approach to the Islamic Republic appears stuck in 1979.
Ideas
Don’t Use the Iran Crisis As An Excuse To Boost Pentagon Spending
Use it to reconsider the American approach to national security.
Ideas
US-Iranian Diplomacy Almost Worked. Let’s Try It Again
Direct talks may be too much to ask for at this stage, but tension-reduction measures promoted by third parties are still very plausible.
Ideas
5G Is Where China and the West Finally Diverge
The rollout of speedy new cellular networks is a geopolitical turning point, but neither Trump nor the public yet recognizes this.
Ideas
The Blueprint Iran Could Follow After Soleimani’s Death
Here’s what to expect after the U.S. killing of Iran’s most powerful military commander.
Ideas
The Soleimani Strike Defied the US Constitution
If Congress fails to respond effectively, the president will be left with the unmitigated power to take the country to war on his own—anywhere, anytime, for any reason.
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
Who’s Next? Trump Crossed a Line with Soleimani’s Assassination
The Iranian was much more than a general. Who else is the U.S. president willing to kill?
Ideas
The US Recently Made a Smart Move Toward Iran. Killing Soleimani Wasn’t It
The decision to focus on Tehran’s proxies in the wake of the embassy attack was the right course.
Ideas
Iran Loses Its Indispensable Man
The killing of Qassem Soleimani robs the regime of the central figure for its ambitions in the Middle East.
Ideas
What US Intelligence Thought 2020 Would Look Like
A 2004 National Intelligence Council report was eerily prescient in some ways, and totally off in others.
Ideas
A Bigger Foreign-Policy Mess Than Anyone Predicted
In the 2010s, global affairs turned out far worse than the most pessimistic scenario foretold by U.S. intelligence experts.
Almost There!
Help us tailor content specifically for you: