2017

Foreign policy veterans from previous Republican administrations look back on 2017 — the year of Trump.

The president promised to deliver peace. But in his first year, he expanded every war he inherited.

After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.

The populist wave seems like it may have crested. The data proves otherwise.

FP staffers learn how democracies die and why Mussolini wrote a bodice ripper.

Saudi blockade of Yemen taking a toll, Turkey buys Russian military kit

Egyptian authorities are using a "debauchery" law to justify a crackdown on gay and trans people.

The United States should be able to count on Europe’s help in isolating Iran.

But that still might get us all killed.

After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.

Logging a primeval forest, Mexican murders, Arctic pathogens, the Russian hack you didn’t hear about, and more.

Yemen continues to burn, American ISIS pundit makes debut

The greatest danger to world peace in the coming year is the prospect of war on the Korean Peninsula — and Trump is making matters worse.

Spain's prime minister tried, and failed, to strong-arm Catalonia. The result is an enduring stalemate.

I used to be a smart-alecky conservative who scoffed at “political correctness.” The Trump era has opened my eyes.

After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.

The United States needs to strengthen its agriculture sector — or be overtaken by China.

U.S. strikes in Somalia and Pakistan keep the Long War grinding on

The continent is finally admitting what it has known all along: that its migration policies are complicit in crimes against humanity.

Reagan intervened to rescue Poland from authoritarianism. Trump should do the same thing.

The historical analogy is wrong — whichever way you look at it.

Personal enrichment has always been central to Mexico's political system — and only a revolution can change that.

Even if Donald Trump fires Robert Mueller, the country's constitutional system still wouldn't be threatened.

After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.

There’s no way we’ll be able to grapple with the coming health crises unless we fix the gaping problem of women’s empowerment in global health.

Russia pushing back against U.S. arms sales to Ukraine

Robert Mueller got hold of emails from the presidential transition and the Pentagon has been researching sightings of UFOs. Yes, seriously.

North Koreans working abroad are a source of cash. They won’t be anymore.

It’s possible. But here are a few steps Washington, Seoul, and Pyongyang can take to keep the 2018 Winter Games peaceful.

The EU is finally declaring it's a club with rules — and that countries like Poland might not belong.

Tehran is building up Hezbollah as leverage against an attack by Israel.

Signs are mounting that the House Intelligence Committee plans on prematurely abdicating its work. 

After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.

The two regional powerhouses are more focused on fighting each other than challenging Trump's Jerusalem decision.

Trump transgender ban blocked by courts again, Pence in Afghanistan

There's a reason why other administrations didn’t plan national security policy this way.

One report points to Iran, but the evidence is far from conclusive.

A new documentary traces an Indian anti-corruption party’s rise to power. But life has not stood still since filming stopped.

How one of America's biggest Chinese-language newspapers amplifies China’s message.

The country’s war on graft is far from over.

A modest proposal to solve a growing problem in America’s judicial system.

After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts

Australia’s scientists are working against time and climate change politics to save their beloved coral reef.

B-1 bombers back to Middle East, pressure on Saudi Arabia over Yemen

The UAE Is paying Ex-CIA officers to build a spy empire in the Gulf

The problem isn’t too much democracy — it’s too little.

Russian disinformation. A government attacking the media. A populace deeply skeptical of it. These Slovak journalists had seen it all — and decided to do something about it.

China’s global economic ambitions require help, and it’s entirely appropriate for the United Kingdom to offer it.

Since two whistleblowers stepped forward two years ago, morale at the Defense Intelligence Agency Office of the Inspector General has plummeted.

Don McGahn was looking at whether the national security advisor violated federal laws just days after Trump moved into the White House.

Zeid Ra'ad Hussein worries the global retreat from human rights makes his job untenable.

After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.

War in Ukraine gets worse, Saudi opens port in Yemen

“We will take note of each and every vote on this issue.”

Privately funded space ventures are altering the industry … and, maybe, the final frontier itself.

Rex Tillerson’s “terrible mistake” is actually the right thing to do.

Sen. Todd Young lifts a hold on the president’s pick for the next State Department legal advisor, after extracting a promise to review Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen.

The announcement comes amid heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Strategizing for this president isn’t easy. But that excuse only gets you so far.

The problem isn’t Donald Trump – it’s the Donald Trump in all of us.

Its survey of the world is mostly accurate, but the discussion of domestic policy falls flat.

Based in Washington, CCTV America broadcasts Beijing-controlled news to English-speaking households across the United States.

After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.

McMaster has tough words for North Korea, which Washington accuses of cyber attack

Four major crises the president is steering America toward in the year ahead.

The Trump administration claims — and fails — to provide a plan to keep Americans safe.

The newly elected leader of the African National Congress is being treated like a messiah. But he might not even win the next election.

The U.S. vetoed the resolution, which Nikki Haley called an “insult” to America that “won’t be forgotten.”

The administration notices growing competition with authoritarian countries, but skirts around the source of conflict.

“America First” is officially all grown up.

Lisbon got its economy back on track by ditching austerity, and now Berlin is eating crow.

Space nations, UFOs, and Mars colonies are on the wish list.

The president and his team deserve credit for formulating a coherent, cohesive approach to battling Beijing.

After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.

Pentagon revamps innovation offices, Putin thanks Trump

Experts say the U.S. advantage over China and Russia is eroding.

The Trump administration needs a robust plan to make sure America remains the world’s most powerful economy.

"North Korea must earn its way back to the table," Tillerson told U.N.

Confused? So are Czechs.

After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.

The Communist Party is baffled — and angered — by the new activism across the straits.

China keeps building islands, U.S. Army takes a hard looks at its Mosul operation

A new book translates Russia’s fears and hopes for Syria, and the wider region, for an American audience.

She claims 'undeniable evidence' that Iran is violating U.N. restrictions. But not everyone is on board yet.

The knives are out for "F" at the State Department. The secretary should be strengthening rather than dismantling it.

In his annual marathon press conference, the Russian president buttered up his American counterpart and cut loose from the party he once led.

Now critics claim the national security advisor is hurting efforts to recruit senior White House intelligence advisors.

A key official involved in House investigations faces a federal lawsuit alleging misconduct.

The U.S. economy has grown because of NAFTA. Scuttling it now would do grievous damage.

The clashes at the Office of the Intelligence Community Inspector General continue to escalate.

In Iraq, the U.S invasion toppled over society and let sectarian dynamics run their course.

Saudi Arabia's rulers have lots of worries, but Trump's announcement about the holy city isn't one of them.

It was hot and muggy as monsoon season crested in the summer of 1954.

Overflights, mapping fiber-optic networks, "strange activities." Moscow's West Coast spies were busy.

New report out on U.S. weapons used by ISIS; Senator blasts Tillerson

The price of hard Brexit will be the end of the nation as we know it.

Despite months of secret contacts, North Korea has been playing hard to get back to the negotiating table – even as Rex Tillerson reaches out again.

There’s long been a bipartisan consensus on support for Israel. That may soon be history.

A Bahraini delegation's trip to Israel is the latest sign of the Gulf monarchies' burgeoning alliance with the Jewish state.

Under the guise of fighting a "war on terrorism," Cairo is cracking down on organizations that shed light on its abuses.

The iconic British insurance market is good at pooling risk. But critics fear the policies it underwrites could fuel gun violence.

On the chopping block: incident response teams, air marshals, and nuclear detection.

With the holidays upon us, a collection of military and history books worth checking out.

If we woke up tomorrow and found that none of our laptops, iPhones, iPads, or personal assistants worked, what would we do?

Haley to offer evidence of Iranian meddling; another General sees victory in Afghanistan

Mateusz Morawiecki used to run an international bank. Now he leads an illiberal government.

U.S. Secretary of State says he'll talk "until the first bomb drops," redoubling a diplomatic effort to defuse the threat of a nuclear showdown.

Germany's center-left is considering another bargain with Angela Merkel, with the EU hanging in the balance — and its own survival.

Until the Palestinians realize that Israel is here to stay and start negotiating in earnest, it behooves Washington to signal that they are losing ground.

As U.S. troops draw down, the Afghan military struggles to provide care for its countless wounded soldiers — on the battlefield and at home.

A mission of capital importance

How the military misapprehends cyberspace — and how that in turn undercuts cyber deterrence.

The “mere threat of a cutoff gives Russia political leverage” over Europe.

Russia sticking around Syria; How ISIS built its arsenal

The United States has forfeited its authority as a neutral broker. It may be time for the Palestinian street to have its say.

The Republican Party is ready to serve as an accomplice to obstruction of justice.

And that's going to lead to even bigger problems down the road.

Why President Trump shouldn’t necessarily heed the long-term vision of his own National Security Strategy.

President Trump can’t let the House and Senate play politics with Iranian nuclear deal.

A forgotten legacy.

There are multiple ways to describe retired Lt. Cols. David Bolgiano and John Taylor’s article in the December issue of Proceedings.

Another big resignation at State Dept.; Iranian missiles with American parts

One diplomat’s stinging resignation letter offers a glimpse into declining morale at the State Department under Trump.

The Trump administration’s pick for the Iran post will likely back a more aggressive stance.

Investigation into weapon’s origins yields clues, but no smoking gun.

U.S. officials failed to mention the impending recognition of the holy city as Israel's capital just days before Trump's announcement.

Since 1987, Europe has been off limits for medium-range missiles. Russia — and now the United States — seems ready to tear up that detente.

From possibly obstructing justice to keeping his finances under wraps, President Trump is giving new meaning to “when you’re a star, they let you do it.”

Men in positions of power need to do better. That includes me.

It might be a dramatic breakthrough in the investigation of Donald Trump — or a revelation of Robert Mueller’s weak hand.

A brief list of recent military wrongdoing.

The recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on nuclear weapons introduced some unsettling possibilities.

A military working dog on the go.

The United States is ignoring the most basic principle of international relations, to its own detriment.

Inviting foreign investors into a closed economy is a lot easier said than done.

Temporary government funding bill pushed through, fighting ebbs in Yemen

But the Trump administration needs to walk a very fine line with Palestine and Arab states.

U.S. ‘badly’ wants to mend fences with Moscow, Secretary of State Tillerson says.

The IOC’s unprecedented ban on Russia for sports doping feeds his narrative of a nation under siege.

Johnny Hallyday was a working-class rock star with a right-wing Gallic twist.

The United States should find a more effective way to deter Tehran and restrain Riyadh.

Not many people noticed it, but last month, NATO made a dramatic change in its cyber policy.

It was the invitation heard around the world. And maybe that’s the problem.

Amid legal battle, the news site is continuing its efforts to validate the Trump dossier.

Pentagon admits 2,000 troops in Syria; Tillerson rips Russia

The president has ended any hope that the United States can broker a diplomatic solution in the Holy Land.

Officials have no plans to withdraw U.S. forces until ISIS is beaten.

Syria’s war isn’t over, but a growing number of German policymakers are trying to revoke asylum and send Syrians back home — against their will, if necessary.

Gambian President Adama Barrow was born the same year his country gained independence. Now, 52 years later, he’s tasked with putting it back together again.

This year, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland warned her country not to take the liberal world order for granted.

Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey, and Ronan Farrow exposed Harvey Weinstein’s crimes against women. Thousands around the word said, “#MeToo.”

The Russian president cloaks himself in nationalism, but that’s not where his heart is.

Israel currently sits athwart two countervailing strategic trends.

Long live the snakes.

For the first time in my life, I fear for the future of our country

Maj. Matthew Peterson suggests in the December issue of “Marine Corps Gazette” that the Marines form a “Marine Legion."

Marines deploying to embassies, Yemen gets worse, Tillerson's chilly reception in Europe

The administration risks riling the region to fulfill a campaign promise.

Even after the Pentagon chief’s visit to Islamabad, the two sides remain at an impasse.

Urban centers want a seat at the table, even if the White House doesn’t.

The 2017 Global Thinker hopes that the world will "keep watching the Philippines."

The only remaining question is what exactly he’s guilty of.

With a wave of corruption scandals sweeping out Latin American governments, is Mexico's next to fall?

Two top lawmakers take aim at Tillerson's handling of State Department reform, again.

Answer: For a military chaplain to hold and comfort wounded and dying Iraqi children.

Another excerpt from an interview in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Washington tells Moscow to show its roll in Syria; Huge new U.S./South Korean military exercise

We already know that the Trump campaign was aware of — and intended to profit from — Moscow’s interference in the election.

The former national security adviser's plea deal must be understood in the context of various deceits by the president and his associates.

From Breitbart News to the White House, Steve Bannon represents a powerful and disruptive force that has reshaped American politics.

As a teenager, Roya Sadat organized performances dramatizing the Taliban’s appalling treatment of women. Today, she is one of the country’s most prominent filmmakers.

Sen. Todd Young is holding up a key State Department confirmation until the White House helps ease the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen.

In Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's “The Vietnam War,” Ho Dang Hoa shaped the Vietnamese side of the story.

Haider al-Abadi has one of the world’s hardest jobs: driving ISIS out of Iraq, launching reforms to the public sector, and preventing his country from being used as a battleground.

Despite inheriting a corruption scandal and a looming threat to the north, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is pushing for open government, dialogue, and peace.

In 2017, what started as a trickle became a waterfall, as women across the world began sharing stories of sexual harassment and assault as part of the #MeToo campaign.

America's close call in 1800 is back with a vengeance

Secretary of Defense James Mattis comments on religion.

2017 was a year of reckoning. These minds found remarkable ways not just to rethink our strange new world but also to reshape it.

New fighting in Yemen may have claimed former president, Pentagon buildup not looking good

NATO and the United States are confronting years of neglect of their submarine-detecting capabilities, while Russia has pulled even.

The White House’s ‘America First’ policymakers see little gain in setting the global rules for migration.

The U.K.'s biggest hurdle to a successful Brexit is the small country next door.

The former national security adviser was asked by Trump team officials to make contact with the Russians.

The Trump administration wants reform. But putting Israel above all other priorities is a big mistake.

While the Trump administration praises its progress on the AIDS fight, health campaigners warn they are making the fight that much harder.

Grant's memoirs show that self-awareness and honest reflection are crucial to leadership

In the years following the Civil War, the American south descended into chaos.

U.S. looks to fly armed drones in Niger; privatizing covert ops; and lots more

And what it means, legally, if Trump does.

America has no greater friend than Britain. Or had.

Mike Flynn may be cooperating with Mueller’s investigation, but the president thinks there’s nothing to worry about.

Why Trump’s most un-American moment can’t be overlooked.

Egypt’s brute-force approach to counterterrorism isn’t working in Sinai.

Reports suggest Trump is mulling replacing the embattled secretary of state with CIA head Pompeo, and putting Sen. Tom Cotton at CIA.

President Trump’s antipathy toward the intel community extends to the Intelligence Advisory Board.

The West needs a strong, committed, engaged White House to hedge against China’s inexorable rise.

Prosecutors say Chinese hackers from a mysterious cybersecurity firm stole corporate secrets from three big firms.

Civil rights, and some news about Best Defense

Gen. “Jack” Cushman, former commandant of the U.S. army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) from 1973-1976, died earlier this month at 96.