Ideas

Can Another ‘Anbar Awakening’ Save Iraq?

Only disgruntled Sunni tribes can halt Iraq’s descent into another sectarian hell. By James Kitfield

Ideas

Joe Biden Was Right About Dividing Iraq

The former senator took a lot of grief for saying Iraq should be partitioned. He might just get the last laugh. By James Kitfield

Ideas

Power or Persuasion: More Sanctions or Bombs for Iran?

In the art of coercive diplomacy, sanctions and military pressure go hand-in-hand and must be feared, but they still have limits. By James Kitfield

Ideas

Five Takeaways from a Decade of War

After Secretary Hagel’s CSIS speech, Generals Cartwright, Chiarelli and Fogleman reveal key lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan the Pentagon should heed for the future. By James Kitfield

Ideas

Crocker: Send More U.S. Counterterrorism Troops to Iraq

Ryan Crocker, the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, knows what it takes to save Iraq: political will and military muscle that President Obama has been unwilling to use. By James Kitfield

Business

Exclusive Interview: DIA Director Flynn on Why Special Ops Will Keep Us From War

DIA's Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn talks about his mission to reform military intelligence and why al-Qaeda is metastasizing. By James Kitfield

Business

5 Takeaways from the U.S. Special Ops Raids in Somalia and Libya

Two surprise operations illuminate America’s shadow war against terrorists and reveal important elements of Washington’s evolving counterterrorism strategy. By James Kitfield

Threats

Syrian Rebels Are Rejecting U.S. Strategy

The new rebel alliance formed under al-Nusra is a no-confidence vote in U.S. leadership. By James Kitfield

Policy

Obama’s ‘Nixon to China’ Moment

Obama has a chance to alter the global chessboard with Putin in a way not seen since Nixon worked with Mao. By James Kitfield

Policy

War with Syria: The Intersection of Interests and Ideology

In the realm of foreign affairs, it’s rare that a cause unites hawkish interventionists and neoconservatives, realists and liberal internationalists. By James Kitfield

Business

Sexual Assault Reform or 'Slippery Slope' for Military Justice?

The all-or-nothing battle over removing sexual assault cases from command authority shouldn’t stop real reform from happening. By James Kitfield

Ideas

DC's Political Paralysis 'Means More Casualties' for Untrained Soldiers

The best place to learn how Washington’s budget impasse is putting troops at risk is the Army’s National Training Center, which has cancelled rotations for the first time since 1981. By James Kitfield

Ideas

Here’s Why Taliban Talks Will Fail

Afghan negotiators insist peace talks with the Taliban will resume despite the recent collapse of efforts to get them started. Don’t bet on success. By James Kitfield