Policy

What We Learned from the House Vote to Limit Trump’s Power to Fight Iran

Democrats, and some Trump allies, challenged the White House’s latest interpretation of presidential warmaking powers.

Threats

Now It's 64. Wounded Troop Tally from Iran Missile Strike Rises Again

Trump “understands the nature” of brain injuries, says Defense Secretary Esper after the president downplayed Americans’ wounds as not “serious.”

Ideas

We Can End Our Endless Wars

America should end its military involvement in conflicts in the Middle East and bring our troops home.

Ideas

America Has Come Full Circle in the Middle East

“We are opening a Pandora’s Box,” Dwight Eisenhower warned when he ordered the first U.S. combat mission in the region. Little did he know how right he would be.

Threats

34 Injured in Iran Attack, Pentagon Now Says; Launches a Review of Reporting Procedures

SecDef Mark Esper ordered a review of “processes for tracking and reporting injuries” after criticism in the wake of the Iranian missile attack.

Threats

As Toll Mounts, Trump Downplays Injuries Suffered in Iranian Attack

The president's dismissive statements about the brain trauma suffered by U.S. troops at Al Assad may reflect a considered attempt to de-escalate – or not.

Ideas

Donald Trump Stumbles Into a Foreign-Policy Triumph

The president, however inadvertently, may be reminding the world of the reality of international relations.

Ideas

Sending Troops Back to the Middle East Won’t Stop Iran

Knee-jerk deployments only distract from the president’s bigger priorities: China and Russia.

Threats

Eleven US Troops Were Injured in Jan. 8 Iran Missile Strike

The troops were medevaced this week to Germany and Kuwait to be treated for traumatic brain injury after experiencing concussion symptoms.

Policy

Meet the House Republicans Who Want to Rein In Trump On War

After the Soleimani strike, a working group of moderate Republicans and Democrats trying to “clarify” Congress’s war responsibilities hope they can build momentum.

Ideas

On Iran, It's Time to Return to Containment

Trump has traded Obama-era appeasement for inconsistent confrontation. What's needed is a strategy of containment, backed by clear and credible deterrence.

Ideas

Trump Broke It. Now He Owns It.

The president withdrew from a flawed deal with Iran, but had no realistic alternative. With that choice comes responsibility for what ensued.

Ideas

Iran’s Smart Strategy

The Iranians chose neither to fold nor to fight. It is not clear at this point who was more deterred by whom.

Threats

How Not to Operate a Surface-to-Air Missile Battery

It’s not yet clear why a Ukrainian jetliner was shot down on Wednesday, but a lot had to go wrong.

Policy

House Passes War Powers Resolution to Limit War With Iran

The measure is legally toothless, but could still have some political impact.

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.

Science & Tech

Iran Is Expanding Its Online Disinformation Operations

Tehran isn’t as practiced as Moscow at purveying propaganda online, but they’re no slouches.

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.