An Iranian woman and her son walk past ballistic missiles on display in front of a large portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in south Tehran. Photo Credit: Atta Kenare, Agence Free Presse/Getty Images By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo by: Getty Images Though the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – colloquially known … Continue reading Why the Trump Administration Shouldn’t Scrap the Iran Nuclear Deal
Author: Doug Livermore
China’s “Three Warfares” In Theory and Practice in the South China Sea
PRC Maritime Militia leave a harbor in China's Zhejiang Province, September 2012. By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo by: Reuters News Chinese military theory has long valued stratagems focused on undermining the morale of an opposing force. In his penultimate work, The Art of War, famed Zhou dynasty strategist Sun Tzu wrote, “Supreme excellence consists in … Continue reading China’s “Three Warfares” In Theory and Practice in the South China Sea
Weathering North Korea’s “Charm Offensive”: Maintaining the U.S./South Korean Alliance After the Winter Olympics
U.S. Marines, left, and South Korean Marines, wearing blue headbands on their helmets, take positions after landing on the beach during a joint military combined amphibious exercise in Pohang, South Korea. By Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo by: Kim Jun-bum/Yonhap via AP Ever since North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, a perpetual state of war … Continue reading Weathering North Korea’s “Charm Offensive”: Maintaining the U.S./South Korean Alliance After the Winter Olympics
Standing Up to the Russian Bear: Time for A Comprehensive Strategy for Countering the Threat of the Russian Federation
By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo Credit: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty The United States National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18), which the US Congress resolved and sent to the White House in mid-November 2017, includes in it a requirement for the interagency to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to counter … Continue reading Standing Up to the Russian Bear: Time for A Comprehensive Strategy for Countering the Threat of the Russian Federation
Rethinking the South Asia Strategy—Addressing the Root Causes of Afghanistan/Pakistan Tensions
By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo Credit: Reuters The recently announced US South Asia Strategy represents one of the Trump administration’s first comprehensive, whole of government approaches to global affairs. The most prominent aspect of the strategy noted by foreign affairs observers was the transition to a “conditions based” approach for assessing progress and appropriate troop … Continue reading Rethinking the South Asia Strategy—Addressing the Root Causes of Afghanistan/Pakistan Tensions
Optimizing the ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign Against North Korea
By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo Credit: Scientific American As North Korea continues to defy the United Nations by developing a reckless and provocative nuclear weapons program, the Trump administration announced a “maximum pressure” strategy to try and change the isolated nation’s course.[i] To date, international approaches to curbing North Korea’s misbehavior have focused on economic … Continue reading Optimizing the ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign Against North Korea
By, With, and Through: Securing US National Interests in Africa
By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo Credit: Author, Northern Mali (2011) President Donald Trump’s recently released annual budget request, characterized as a “hard power” budget, emphasizes military spending over diplomatic and developmental aid.[i] As such, there is a perceived risk that the United States’ new foreign policy will de-prioritize our engagement with Africa, which accounts for … Continue reading By, With, and Through: Securing US National Interests in Africa
NATO Still Matters
By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo Credit: United States Naval Institute Far from outdated, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) original purpose of mutual European defense remains as relevant today as it was at NATO’s inception. The United States stands as the sole superpower on the world stage, an integral part of a number of important … Continue reading NATO Still Matters
Avoiding the Next War
By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo Credit: New York Times While much remains for the world to do to bring about the ultimate destruction of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a world in which ISIS no longer exists could pose a larger challenge to the United States and the region writ large. Without … Continue reading Avoiding the Next War