Ideas
Cool It With the ‘America In Decline’ Talk
Clear-eyed assessment, not reductive defeatism, is required to develop a foreign policy that meets U.S. interests.
Ideas
Is the Conflict in Libya a Preview of the Future of Warfare?
Drones. Mercenaries. Disinformation campaigns waged on social media.
Threats
Will the US Navy Sink Iranian Fast Boats in the Gulf? Maybe, Maybe Not
It may be time to formalize how orders are passed from the White House to the military.
Threats
America’s Allies Are Becoming a Nuclear-Proliferation Threat
Some of the United States' oldest allies are considering the once-unthinkable: building their own nuclear weapons.
Ideas
It’s Time for the US and Saudi Arabia to Break Up
Riyadh’s recent crude-oil dump is the latest indication that the oil-for-security basis of the special relationship is no longer applicable.
Threats
Coronavirus Halts Military Travel In and Out of Iraq and Afghanistan
No one comes in until they've quarantined for 14 days, CENTCOM says.
Threats
US-Led Airstrikes Underway in Iraq; Retaliation Against Iran-Backed Group That Killed Americans
The operation against Kata’ib Hezbollah is targeting weapons storage facilities.
Threats
General Takes Blame for ‘No Injuries’ Declaration After Jan. 8 Iran Strike
“I was never under any pressure at any time to shade this reporting,” CENTCOM’s Gen. Frank McKenzie told Congress. More than 100 troops later were diagnosed with TBI.
Ideas
The American Public Wants a Sustainable Middle East Policy
Despite the mainstream narrative presenting a deep lack of appetite for another war in the Middle East, the United States will never be able to ignore the region completely.
Ideas
The US Should Get Ready for Syria’s Return from War
Trump seems determined not to play much of a role in shaping how Syria’s myriad conflicts are resolved. That’s a mistake.
Ideas
How to Get the National Defense Strategy Out of Its Mideast Rut
We need less talk about why we need to leave, and more about why we need to compete elsewhere.
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
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.
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
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.
Threats
Soleimani Strike Could Imperil US Troops In Iraq
Trump and his allies have sought to frame Iraq’s response to the strikes as a choice between Tehran and Washington, but the situation is not so black-and-white for Baghdad.
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
Iran Loses Its Indispensable Man
The killing of Qassem Soleimani robs the regime of the central figure for its ambitions in the Middle East.
Threats
Iran’s Soleimani Killed in Trump-Ordered Airstrike
The stunning killing of the Quds Force leader follows Iranian-backed militia attacks on U.S. embassy in Iraq, and months of Tehran testing Washington’s stomach for violence.
Ideas
In Iraq, the US Gets Hit Where It Hurts
The storming of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad demonstrated that America doesn’t have a monopoly on pressure.
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