Ideas

Who's Leading the World's ‘Counter Violent Extremism’ Efforts? No One

An international institution dedicated to CVE research and evaluation would reduce redundancy and promote buy-in.

Threats

Report: NSA Gave Germany Access to Powerful Internet Surveillance Tool

Germany's internal spy agency traded surveillance data on its citizens for access to XKeyscore, Die Zeit newspaper says.

Ideas

Artillery, Protests, and Giant Balloons Mark Rising Korean Tensions

North and South Korea, locked in one of the world’s most intractable conflicts, exchanged fire on Thursday.

Threats

Germany Charges Own Spy With Spilling Secrets To US, Russia

The spy, arrested last summer, is accused of accepting more than $100,000 from the CIA to snoop on Germany.

Ideas

The International-Relations Argument Against Killer Robots

AI-assisted weapons could spark an arms race that would increase the likelihood of wars — and the slope of their escalation.

Ideas

How To Avoid All-Out War in Cyberspace

While some fear the Internet will be a primary battlefield for future societies, this alarmism is a bit premature.

Threats

The Inequality of War

A new report confirms that more than ever across the globe, peace begets peace and violence more violence. And without significant change, the inequality will only worsen.

Science & Tech

The Country That Could Reshape Cyber Law

Finland is the perfect middle-power to help the world forge much-needed online norms.

Policy

What a Major Arms Control Treaty Teaches Us About the Iran Deal

Nearly 50 years of the Non-Proliferation Treaty have proven one thing — multilateral agreements can work to make the world safer.

Science & Tech

Inside the Glitz of a Middle East Arms Show

IDEX has become a must-attend event for defense firms and consultants alike as conversation with a powerful decision maker could translate into billions of dollars in weapon sales.

Threats

These 22 Countries Don't Have a Military

More than 20 nations lack standing armies—and it's not always about pacifism. By Kathy Gilsinan

Policy

Plunging Oil Prices Set Off a Global Chess Game

High oil prices have sustained kleptocracies in places like Russia and Venezuela. Will the fall in prices at the pump also mean more instability around the world? By Norm Ornstein

Ideas

Is Religion The Cause of All Major Wars in History?

In her new book, Fields of Blood, Karen Armstrong argues against the idea that faith causes wars. By Emma Green

Ideas

These Countries Are Still Paying Off Debt from World War I

Several nations are still paying for WWI a century later. By Kabir Chibber

Threats

These Are the Threats People Around the World Worry About the Most

The survey asked people to choose among disease, nuclear weapons, environment, inequality, and discrimination. By Jeanne Kim

Policy

What Stands in the Way of an Independent Kurdistan?

Iraq's northeastern Kurdish region is anxious to assert its independence and protect key cities while provinces around it descend into sectarian chaos. But Kurdish leaders may be trying to do too much too soon. By Steven A. Cook

Threats

The Rise of Militarized NGOs

Governments disguising soldiers as civilians and recruiting civilian insurgents are old practices. But in the 21st century, they've acquired unprecedented potential as tools of war. By Moisés Naím

Policy

Why Is Putin Invited to Normandy's 70th Anniversary?

The French are playing into Putin's dangerous propaganda at the most hallowed beach in the world. By David Frum

Ideas

U.S.-Russian Cultural Relations Are on Ice, Too

The Russians may be coming -- but not in the way any of us had hoped. By Tara Sonenshine

Policy

Leaders Hope Advocacy Begets Governance at Nuclear Security Summit

At it's third gathering, summit leaders look for permanency toward nuclear free world. By Sebastian Sprenger