Ideas

After Mosul Falls, How Much Rebuilding Help Should the US Give?

Restoring stable governance means creating a government that can supply basic services — and there are several ways the United State can provide assistance.

Ideas

When Allies Become Enemies (Before the War is Over), Obama's ISIS Plan Has Another Problem

The U.S. wanted Turkish and Kurdish fighters to fight, but not fight each other. Now the administration is scrambling to keep local allies with their own interests focused on America's goal: defeating ISIS.

Ideas

Violently Ousting Assad Won't Solve Anything in Syria

It is hardly surprising to hear calls for more U.S. action, but what happens next?

Ideas

It’s Time: The US Should Create A No-Fly Zone, Deliver Aid — and Save Syria

The act of alleviating human suffering may fuel a new dynamic that ultimately begins to change the course of the war.

Ideas

Turkey Won't Solve Its ISIS Problem By Invading Syria

Erdogan launched an intervention in Syria, while gutting his own government's ability to confront the problem at home.

Business

US-Made Patriot Missiles Shoot Down Houthi Rockets

A top U.S. admiral revealed the new detail about Saudi Arabia, already criticized for how they’re using their arsenal of Western-supplied arms against Yemen.

Ideas

We Welcome China In Djibouti, Just As We Welcomed The West

Djibouti’s foreign minister pushes back on assertions China is elbowing Americans out of the strategic East African footprint.

Business

Saudi Losses in Yemen War Exposed by US Tank Deal

The U.S. State Department says Riyadh can buy 153 Abrams tanks, 20 of which will replace ones destroyed in combat.

Ideas

Military Coups Have Become Less Common, But More Successful

Coup d’etat attempts have been growing less frequent across the world, particularly since the end of the Cold War.

Ideas

Following the Failed Coup, Erdogan’s Broken Democratic Promise to Turkey Lives On

No politician in Turkey’s history has managed to master democracy better than President Erdogan, only to hold it hostage for his own political ends.

Ideas

Is Global Terrorism Getting Worse? Depends on Your Definition

Civil war is driving many recent attacks, and that blurs both statistics and remedies.

Ideas

It's Time for America to Distance Itself From Saudi Actions in Yemen

Riyadh is killing civilians with American help, and it’s jeopardizing the international credibility of the United States.

Business

Slumping US Helicopter Market Forces Sikorsky to Look Overseas

Eight months after buying Sikorsky in an 'excess capacity' market, Lockheed is signing partnerships with non-US companies.

Ideas

How the Kurds Drove Turkey Back to Israel (and Two Other Reasons for the Deal)

The Turks want to forestall any Israeli declaration of support for Syrian Kurdish independence aspirations, but distrust and resentment remain.

Ideas

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Are Shaping the Future of the Middle East

The Guards, particularly the Quds Brigade, now numbering about 15,000, are in the forefront of projecting Iranian influence.

Ideas

Time to Move the 5th Fleet? How US Appeasement Is Undermining Bahrain's Stability

The government crackdowns that followed the Obama administration’s decision to lift an arms ban have only stirred up dissent.

Threats

The US is Raiding its Global Bomb Stockpiles to Fight ISIS

The anti-ISIS coalition has dropped more than 41,500 bombs, leading the Pentagon to borrow from stockpiles in other regions.

Ideas

There Are No Good Alternatives to the US-Saudi Relationship

Obama’s former Mideast advisor also says the administration did just enough in Syria to perpetuate the conflict without resolving it.

Ideas

Obama's Last Chance To Change the Saudi Arabia Playbook

The U.S. can't be the sole guardian of the Gulf forever. It's time to bring in some more friends.

Ideas

America Can't Do Much About ISIS

That leaves patience, containment, and humanitarian aid as the least-bad policies while waiting for this awful war to play itself out.