Threats
The Writing Was on the Wall With Afghanistan
The latest bout of bloodshed may have played some role in the actions Trump just took, but it is also a convenient out for an administration that had gone all in on a floundering initiative.
Ideas
The End of the Dan Coats Era
Whoever takes over from Coats permanently could serve as a needed voice of clarity about America’s biggest challenges—or see the intelligence community further sidelined.
Ideas
A Reformed White Nationalist Says the Worst Is Yet to Come
Christian Picciolini discusses the mainstreaming of white nationalism, what it takes to de-radicalize far-right extremists, and why the problem is metastasizing.
Policy
Dan Coats Spoke Truth to Trump. Now He’s Out.
The director of national intelligence won plaudits for laying out the intelligence community’s assessments on issues ranging from Iran to Russia.
Threats
How the US Could Lose a War With China
It’s not that the Chinese Communist Party would take over Washington. But in its own region, China has the advantage.
Ideas
How Can Congress Authorize War When It Can’t Decide What War Is?
There’s bipartisan agreement that the law governing America’s wars needs an update. There’s also bipartisan agreement that it won’t happen anytime soon.
Ideas
No Defense Secretary Can Really Steer Trump
Mark Esper may well be qualified for the job—even a lot of Democrats think so. But in this administration, there’s a limit to anyone’s influence.
Threats
Why Won't Europe Take Back ISIS Fighters from Syria for Trial?
Italy took one. Hundreds more languish while governments slowly decide what to do next.
Policy
Democrats Couldn’t Agree on Top National-Security Threats
The candidates’ different answers reflect the Democratic Party’s deeper divisions on foreign policy.
Threats
America’s Free-Rider Problem in the Strait of Hormuz
“The United States has not been willing to walk away from the Gulf, so other allies may not step up to do anything because they know that if they don’t, the U.S. will.”
Ideas
Trump Goes After Iran’s Supreme Leader
Having pulled back from a strike on Iran, the White House is trying sanctions on Ali Khamenei.
Ideas
Is There Still a Deal to Be Done With Iran?
Below the surface, there are faint signs of how both parties can exit the crisis.
Ideas
Trump Might Not Want War, but the Military Is Steering His Iran Policy
The buildup in the Middle East is coming at the request of the forces responsible for the region.
Ideas
Iran Has Options and It’s Starting to Use Them
Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign has not forced Tehran to yield—in fact, it’s done the opposite.
Threats
The Partisan Divide on How to Read the Intelligence on Iran
Adam Schiff lays out his worries on the intelligence, but the Trump administration is pushing back.
Threats
The Many Ways Iran Could Target the United States
The White House is citing unspecified threats from Iran. The specifics are murky, but the potential for escalation is real.
Ideas
A Boom Time for US Sanctions
The explosive growth in their use has prompted questions about how much is too much.
Ideas
A Warlord Rises in Libya, and Trump Is Praising Him
It's Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan general who is leading his forces against the government the U.S. still officially backs.
Threats
Despite Threatening It, Trump Is Keeping the Military Out of Venezuela
The administration is sticking to an approach that it has favored against adversaries from Iran to North Korea: gradual economic strangulation.
Policy
The US Escalates Even Further Against Iran—To What End?
Declaring the country’s most powerful security services a terrorist organization is just the Trump administration’s latest move in a long pressure campaign against Iran.
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