Articles

With few exceptions, aiding Ukraine in its efforts to push back against Russian aggression continues to enjoy broad bipartisan support, both in Congress and among the American public. But precisely how much Washington can and should underwrite Kyiv’s war effort has become something of a political football — especially among conservatives. The arguments are varied and range from worries over fraud to accusations of misplaced priorities. Each has its grounding in legitimate concerns. Yet each fails to grasp the significance of what is at stake in the current fight against Russia’s imperialist ambitions.

The current triumphalism among many in the West regarding the decline of Russian disinformation is somewhat premature. That's because, while Russian propaganda outlets are now having a more difficult time reaching European nations, they're still making major gains in advancing the Kremlin's position—and eroding that of the West—throughout the developing world.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s abrupt mid-December visit to Washington dominated U.S. headlines and commentaries ahead of the holiday season.

With considerable pomp and circumstance, the Biden administration recently unveiled its signature National Security Strategy. The document, intended as an authoritative expression of the Administration’s priorities in the field of foreign affairs, pays extensive attention to the great power challenges posed by China and Russia, framing them as the greatest threats to contemporary American security.

Russians need to understand what their leader is doing in Ukraine. Dissident journalists are critical to reach them.

Return of citizens, reconstruction and reparations.

Even as it grapples with its own domestic unrest generated by an unsustainable "zero-COVID" strategy, Beijing is playing a major role in helping Iran's ruling ayatollahs repress that country's captive population.

With his “zero COVID” policy spurring China’s largest anti-government protests in more than three decades, Xi Jinping now faces the challenge of maintaining his legitimacy not just at home but abroad.

How costly has the war in Ukraine been for Russia?

These developments provide a timely reminder (after a nearly two-decade-long decline of freedom and democracy around the world) that people who live under, or are threatened by, authoritarian rule will take great risks for freedom — and that those who live in free societies may treasure their freedom more than we realized.

When it comes to regional position, a few short months can make a big difference. It's a lesson that Russia is learning the hard way.

Ignoring wiser counsel as well as his people, Germany’s chancellor is allowing Chinese control of key industries.

Is Europe finally waking up to the true nature of the Iranian regime?

Bolsonaro is the first incumbent president in Brazil’s 34-year modern democracy to lose re-election, and he previously alleged fraud in its voting system. Nevertheless, Lula’s victory will nourish a growing challenge for the United States.

Changes are visible at the top of China's power structure—and these are likely to dictate the shape of Chinese politics and foreign policy in the years to come.

The meetings by heads of state in Issyk-Kul and Tashkent earlier this summer showed clearly that America’s abrupt departure from Afghanistan last year and its long-term neglect of Central Asia did not mark the end of history. Quite the contrary.

If the Cuban Missile Crisis was the most perilous moment of the Cold War, Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats may mark the most perilous moment to date of the post-Cold War period.

In his efforts to solve one problem—boosting morale and manpower for his Ukraine campaign—Vladimir Putin has managed to create another.

Putin is making risky moves in Ukraine because they are his best option to buy the time to stay in power.

Iran's turn to the East is accelerating.

At home and abroad, Putin is facing mounting opposition over his invasion of Ukraine.

Nuclear talks with Iran are at an impasse. Just when a deal seemed imminent, Tehran resurrected a demand that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cease an investigation into potentially illegal uranium enrichment at three undeclared locations.

Throughout what is collectively known as the "Global South" (encompassing developing parts of the world like Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia), China is now more popular than the United States.

A high-profile killing took place in Moscow last month — a killing with potentially massive implications, both for the war in Ukraine and for the stability of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government.

Today, it is increasingly clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran is approaching some sort of political transition.

...the costs of the present conflict have already become exorbitantly high, both for Russia and for ordinary Russians

In less than six months, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war of choice has had catastrophic consequences — for Russia itself.

They could have ironed out their differences privately and worked everything out behind closed doors. Instead, unnamed White House officials leaked Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan travel plans and sought to spike the trip.

Some three-quarters of a century after Kennan’s “long telegram,” the United States—and the West more broadly—has little understanding of the ideological constructs and strategic principles animating contemporary Russian decision-making. In the absence of such awareness, successive governments have fallen short in anticipating Russia’s post-Cold War foreign policy maneuvers. They have likewise floundered in formulating a cogent response to them. 

A year later, a majority of Americans (53%) agreed that the fall of Afghanistan was indeed a “generational setback” for the United States.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine in late February, the policy conversation in Washington and European capitals has revolved around how best the West can put an end to Vladimir Putin’s aggression

The death of al-Qaeda’s leader is an opportune moment to reflect on the dangerous incoherence of the Biden administration’s foreign policy.

At this critical moment, Washington needs a post-JCPOA strategy that will force Russia, China, and Iran to take notice.

Perhaps the most profound impact of Russia’s new war has been to revitalize the West’s oldest and most enduring alliance. Until recently thought by many to be on its deathbed, NATO has found renewed purpose in deterring a revanchist and neo-imperial Russia, and convinced skeptics of the indispensable role it should play in maintaining global security.

It is clear that Israel is working hard to strike a balance between its own economic interests and a new, and changed, global landscape that has U.S.-China competition as a defining feature. Other American allies should be watching closely, because they will soon be expected to follow suit.

Whoever emerges from the inevitable turmoil in Russia, he, she, or they will have to address the open wound that Putin’s Ukraine gambit has opened in the Russian polity itself.

For the Kremlin, the African continent has emerged as a serious strategic priority – and a new battleground in its struggle for influence with the West.

Anyone hoping that President Biden’s sunny prediction that his trip to Saudi Arabia would result in lower prices at the pump in a matter of weeks should not hold their breath.

Given that the United States has committed to a sustainable lunar presence, and committed to promoting norms, the United States should take leadership in an International Civil Lunar Organization.

Standing up to Putin’s blackmail, the European Parliament classifies some nuclear and natural-gas projects as ‘sustainable.’ The U.S. should follow its lead.

Gutavo Petro's election is a potential calamity for the United States and threatens to undermine one of the few success stories America can boast of in our own hemisphere.

Biden’s commitment to reviving the nuclear deal is not only problematic in terms of curbing Iranian nuclear activity, but it also threatens to undercut his effort to restore relations with Riyadh that have become increasingly important to U.S. strategic interests.

On the road to Medina, Saudi officials recently removed signs reading “Muslims only.”

In early February, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced a major new defense initiative when, in an address to Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies, he laid out his administration’s plans for a “laser wall” to protect the country from rockets, missiles and UAVs. 

The newly contested region needs serious U.S. attention.

The results of a recent survey suggest that Ukraine represents something of a policy unicorn in this fractious political climate—one that can bring together a wide range of Americans. 

However odious the regime on Riyadh, a clear-eyed, sober-minded, prepared Biden can advance U.S. interests when he meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

With the proper structure, regional leadership, and underwriting from foreign donors (including the United States and European nations), regional planning could go a long way toward strengthening the continent's most vulnerable countries against the coming economic and societal shocks caused by food scarcity.

Uncritically sustaining an economic relationship with China over the course of five decades has strengthened a country that regards itself as an adversary of the United States.