Ideas

In NYC, a Bronx Cheer for Putin, Trump, and the Aging UN

As the General Assembly met for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, Biden warned against nuclear war and the UN’s growing irrelevance. Will he do more?

Policy

Lawmakers Highlight ‘Urgency’ To Train Aussie Submariners As AUKUS Celebrates One Year

“Whether you’re developing a workforce to build it or those to operate it, the sooner we begin that training pipeline, the better off we will be,” Rep. Donald Norcross said.

Threats

Queen Elizabeth II Dead at 96

King Charles III succeeds Britain’s longest-serving monarch and most prominent global leader.

Ideas

DOD’s Diplomats Don’t Need More Rank, Just Less Disdain

When U.S. visitors treat military attachés like mere functionaries, they undermine a crucial mission.

Ideas

China’s New Ambassador Warns US Has ‘Gone Too Far’ Over Taiwan

Qin Gang is setting himself up as the unflinching mouthpiece of an assertive Beijing. Can he win over Washington?

Business

Just Weeks After Saudi Trip, Biden Administration Greenlights $5B in Arms for Gulf Nations

Under the deal, Riyadh could spend $3 billion on Patriot interceptors; the UAE, $2.2 billion on THAAD interceptors.

Policy

Biden Defends Saudi Trip To ‘Reassert’ US Influence Amid Human Rights Criticism

“I’m meeting with nine other heads of state. It just happens to be in Saudi Arabia,” the president said.

Policy

Biden’s Trip to ‘Stabilize’ US-Mideast Ties Kicks Off in Israel

Analysts predicted Biden will try to secure commitments from allies against China and Iran.

Policy

US Lawmakers Want to Give India a Pass For Buying Russian Missiles

American officials have been urging allies to give up Russian-made weapons in favor of western arms.

Policy

Abe’s Unfinished Legacy: Leading Japan and its Military to Confront Modern Threats

The assassinated former prime minister was still working to guide Japan out of post-war pacifism and into a more global stance with counter-strike capabilities to deter China.

Policy

Biden’s Asia Trip is ‘Proof’ That US Can Focus On Two Fronts At Once, Officials Argue

His first presidential Pacific crossing aims to convince wary leaders that Washington is not losing focus on China.

Policy

Biden Orders US Troops Back to Somalia, Reverses Trump Withdrawal

“This is a step that rationalizes what was essentially an irrational arrangement that we inherited,” a senior administration official said.

Ideas

The Middle East’s Indifference to Ukraine Is a Warning

What looks like international solidarity against a lawless invasion is something far more transactional and fragile.

Policy

Lawmakers Seek To Flex Dormant Foreign-Policy Muscle On Capitol Hill

“Right now we have an unbroken streak of one,” a Senate aide told Defense One.

Policy

Biden Asks India to ‘Do More’ to Stop Russia and Help Ukraine

In a virtual meeting, the president pushed India’s Modi to cut Russian energy purchases, while the White House kept a diplomatically polite facade.

Policy

Biden to Tap Colombia As Next Major Non-NATO Ally

The longtime security partner would be the 19th country and third in South America to receive the designation.

Policy

‘Battle Between Democracy and Autocracy’ Leads Biden’s First State of the Union

President says Putin “will pay” even more for Ukraine invasion–but mentions no other foreign policy priorities.

Threats

US Orders Most Troops, Diplomats to Leave Ukraine

160 National Guardsmen pulled from Ukraine; skeleton crew left in Kyiv after Biden-Putin phone call produces “no fundamental change."