The Cable
The Cable goes inside the foreign policy machine, from Foggy Bottom to Turtle Bay, the White House to Embassy Row.

Gen. John Allen Joins Brookings

Recently retired Marine General John Allen has joined the Brookings Institution as a distinguished fellow, The Cable has learned. Allen, who until recently led coalition forces in Afghanistan, will join the think tank’s newly-launched Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence.  "We are honored that General Allen has joined the Brookings ranks as a distinguished ...

By , a staff writer and reporter at Foreign Policy from 2013-2017.
607589_1417018492.jpg
607589_1417018492.jpg
<> on March 22, 2012 in Washington, DC.

Recently retired Marine General John Allen has joined the Brookings Institution as a distinguished fellow, The Cable has learned.

Recently retired Marine General John Allen has joined the Brookings Institution as a distinguished fellow, The Cable has learned.

Allen, who until recently led coalition forces in Afghanistan, will join the think tank’s newly-launched Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence. 

"We are honored that General Allen has joined the Brookings ranks as a distinguished fellow," Brookings President Strobe Talbott said in a Monday statement. "He has served our country and the U.S. military with distinction for more than 35 years. We look forward to his contributions to public policy work at Brookings."

Allen, a four-star general, was nominated to be NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe in early 2013. He turned down the job after getting dragged into the probe surrounding former CIA Director David Petraeus‘ affair with biographer Paula Broadwell. Allen was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.

With his wife Kathy beside him, Allen recently gave a lengthy exit interview with ABC News about the challenges of leading the war effort during the investigation. Now Allen will get a chance to flex his intellectual chops and continue advocating for his preferred military policies.

And when it comes those preferred policies in Afghanistan, the general has made clear that he thinks there’s "no question" U.S. forces will be needed for a long time. "The international community will remain engaged. Our forces will continue to train the Afghan forces well after 2014," he said last month.

Allen’s already been getting cozy with his new Brookings colleagues. Last month, he published a report with Michael O’Hanlon, director of research at Brookings, and Michele Flournoy, former under secretary for defense for policy, on the road forward in Afghanistan. See his entire interview with ABC’s Martha Raddatz here.

John Hudson was a staff writer and reporter at Foreign Policy from 2013-2017.

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.