To Make War on One Man: A Communications Lesson for Policymakers Turns 100

By: Rick Chersicla, Guest Contributor Photo Credit: LatinAmericanStudies.org Today marks the centenary of America’s entry into the First World War, and journals, magazines and television will likely be filled with special pieces commemorating our entry into The Great War. What will likely be overlooked, however, is the operation that immediately preceded American entry into World … Continue reading To Make War on One Man: A Communications Lesson for Policymakers Turns 100

What the President Values

By: Andrew Swick, Columnist Photo Credit: Boston University It’s often said that you show what you value in how you spend your time; it’s just as true that a government shows what it values in how it spends its money. With the release of the Trump administration’s first budget proposal last month, President Trump made … Continue reading What the President Values

Civilian Casualties and the United States’ Dilemma in Syria and Iraq

By: Sara Sirota, Columnist Photo Credit: The Independent As many as 200 civilians died on March 17 in western Mosul, when the US-led coalition in Iraq and Syria conducted an aggressive series of airstrikes to destroy ISIS targets.[1] Another 30 died on March 22 in a school, when the coalition pursued targets near Raqqa. And … Continue reading Civilian Casualties and the United States’ Dilemma in Syria and Iraq

Balancing Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Between Operational Capability and Public Disclosure

By: William Haynes, Columnist Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons Established under President Barack Obama in 2014, the Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP) is an interagency framework used to determine whether the US government and its contractors should disclose software and hardware vulnerabilities to the public and private sector or foreign allies.[i] Prior to this, government agencies often … Continue reading Balancing Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Between Operational Capability and Public Disclosure

The DRC’s Perfect Storm: A Nation on the Brink of Civil War

By: Shannon Mizzi, Columnist Photo Credit: MUN Planet The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is simultaneously experiencing a tense political crisis, a deep economic downturn, and increasing unrest in its notoriously unstable eastern provinces, where over 40 armed rebel groups (both domestic and foreign) operate.[i] This “perfect storm” of factors threatens to push the … Continue reading The DRC’s Perfect Storm: A Nation on the Brink of Civil War

Libya Could Be the Trump Test for US-Russia Cooperation in the Middle East

By: Yasmin Faruki, Columnist Photo Credit: Middle East Eye President Trump has no issue cooperating with Russia in the Middle East. Just earlier this year, he suggested cooperating militarily with Russia in Syria, despite the fact that the United States and Russia have fundamentally different objectives in the region.[i] Though it seems Trump has backed … Continue reading Libya Could Be the Trump Test for US-Russia Cooperation in the Middle East

Iranian Support for Kurds Threatens US Security Interests; Here’s How the US Can Respond

By: Christopher Moede, Guest Contributor Photo Credit: The Daily Beast Complex relationships among state and non-state actors in the Middle East require due diligence for the United States to effectively employ the full range of its national instruments of power. These interests, protected through a nuanced application of diplomatic, informational, military, and economic power, lead … Continue reading Iranian Support for Kurds Threatens US Security Interests; Here’s How the US Can Respond

NATO Without America: A Grim Prognosis

By: Patrick Savage, Columnist Photo Credit: CNBC Statements made by candidate and now-President Donald Trump on the US commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have caused much consternation throughout the alliance over the past year. President Trump has previously suggested that US support for NATO should be conditional on nations paying their fair … Continue reading NATO Without America: A Grim Prognosis

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

Paper Tigers and Eagles: Why the United States Should Not Underestimate the PLA

By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist Photo Credit: The National Interest In the past several decades, China has made huge strides in modernizing its military technology, training, and organization. Yet, US military officials continue to dismiss the real threat the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) poses because the PLA lacks real combat experience.[i] It is true that … Continue reading Paper Tigers and Eagles: Why the United States Should Not Underestimate the PLA