Ideas
The Saudi Deal Shows Just How Broken the US Arms Export Process Has Become
A system meant to keep weapons sales from undermining U.S. national security has become a sham.
Business
What Really Matters in Trump’s $110B Saudi Arms Package
It’s still a lot of talk and no final sales, but long-stalled deals worth billions just got moving again.
Ideas
And So It Begins: Trump, Syria, and The Lessons of Iraq
With recent 'warning shot' at Assad, the US is trying to avoid escalation in Syria, not stoke it, sources say.
Ideas
There’s Less than Meets the Eye in Trump’s Saudi Arms Deal
It takes a lot of existing offers and future promises to add up to $110 billion.
Threats
What Syrian-Peace Negotiators in Geneva Must Learn from Russia
Unless this latest round acknowledges battlefield reality, the UN-sponsored talks will continue their slide into irrelevance.
Policy
Gulf Leaders Still Love Trump
The UAE’s crown prince visits Washington today, pleased with the U.S. president’s embrace of Egypt’s al-Sisi and upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia.
Ideas
So Trump Is Arming Kurds...Then What?
Trump’s latest decision orders more US military intervention than Obama wanted. The more Americans and allies fight this war, the more they deserve a plan for the peace.
Ideas
Letting Bahrain Buy F-16s Won’t Make It a More Stable Ally
The Trump administration discarded human-rights criteria in approving the sale — and that’s not going to help things.
Ideas
A Soldier's Dilemma
In 2016, Captain Nathan Smith sued President Obama for issuing an order to engage in the battle against ISIS without congressional approval. Can his case clarify the debate over President Trump’s strikes in Syria?
Threats
There's a New Player in the Horn of Africa
UAE is funding ports and military bases in an area already frequented by forces of the United States, Japan, France, Germany, China, and others.
Threats
‘No Doubt’ Syria Behind Chemical Attack, Mattis Says
And Trump’s rush order for a counter-ISIS plan, remains just a “skeleton,” Mattis said. "It's going to take time."
Ideas
Why ISIS Declared War on Egypt's Christians
The group has been exporting Iraq-style sectarian tactics to the Arab world’s most populous country.
Ideas
The Syria Strike Was International Security Theater
It was designed to look as if it would keep us safer, while actually doing nothing of the sort.
Ideas
Easy There, Blob. With Obama, We Faced A Different Syria
Four years ago, everything was different in Syria. I support these strikes, but two of our worries remain the same: escalation and loss of control.
Threats
In Love and War With Iraq’s Elite Fighters
Born in war, raised in war, Iraq’s young special operations forces fight their turn – they just hope their familes understand.
Threats
The Fight Against the Islamic State Just Got Harder
Initial thoughts on the Trump administration’s new front in the Syrian war.
Science & Tech
The Sarin Gas Attack In Syria Ignited an Information Battle
Victims quickly took to social media to distribute evidence of the use of chemical weapons.
Threats
The US Was Already Fighting in Syria
It has targeted ISIS and other terrorist groups, not the Assad regime—though that might change soon.
Ideas
When the House of Trump Met the House of Saud
The Saudi and Trump families looked cozy in their first state visit, but beneath the gilded surface, don’t expect much to change in U.S.-Saudi relations.
Business
Laptops and Tablets Are Now Banned from Use on 56 Routes to the US
Passengers will be required to pack larger electronics into their checked luggage.
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