Emma Ashford

Emma Ashford is a columnist at Foreign Policy and a senior fellow with the Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy program at the Stimson Center, an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University, and the author of Oil, the State, and War.

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Articles by Emma Ashford
A map shows the course of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany on the exterior of an informational booth close to the receiving station for Nord Stream 2 on Feb. 2 near Lubmin, Germany.
A map shows the course of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany on the exterior of an informational booth close to the receiving station for Nord Stream 2 on Feb. 2 near Lubmin, Germany.

Will Germany Hobble Western Sanctions Against Russia?

Analysis
Emma Ashford, Rachel Rizzo
An activist wrapped in Ukraine's flag stands outside the White House during an anti-Putin protest on March 12, 2014 in Washington.
An activist wrapped in Ukraine's flag stands outside the White House during an anti-Putin protest on March 12, 2014 in Washington.

Is Defending Ukraine Vital to U.S. Security?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
Police fired tear gas and stun grenades.
Police fired tear gas and stun grenades.

Will Unrest in Kazakhstan Inflame Tensions Between Russia and the West?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system (left) intercepts rockets fired by the Hamas movement toward southern Israel from Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 14.
The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system (left) intercepts rockets fired by the Hamas movement toward southern Israel from Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 14.

Will 2022 Bring More War and Chaos?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
A passenger arriving from South Africa is tested for COVID-19 at Schiphol airport on Dec. 2 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
A passenger arriving from South Africa is tested for COVID-19 at Schiphol airport on Dec. 2 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The World Is Starting to Doubt Biden’s Promise That ‘America Is Back’

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
Servicemen salute as their tanks move through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2021.
Servicemen salute as their tanks move through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2021.

Is Russia Preparing to Invade Ukraine?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
U.S. President Joe Biden listens to the speakers during the World Leaders' Summit "Accelerating Clean Technology Innovation and Deployment" session on day three of COP26 on Nov. 2, in Glasgow, Scotland.
U.S. President Joe Biden listens to the speakers during the World Leaders' Summit "Accelerating Clean Technology Innovation and Deployment" session on day three of COP26 on Nov. 2, in Glasgow, Scotland.

Will COP26 Solve Anything?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
Military vehicles carry China's DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles in a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019, to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Military vehicles carry China's DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles in a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019, to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Will China’s New Missile Lead to Escalation or Stability?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
A Taiwanese soldier waves a flag.
A Taiwanese soldier waves a flag.

Is Defending Taiwan Worth the Risk?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Sheean arrives for a logistics port visit on Apr. 1 in Hobart, Australia.
Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Sheean arrives for a logistics port visit on Apr. 1 in Hobart, Australia.

Will AUKUS Hit China Where It Hurts?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
Flags of Lithuania, the United States, and NATO are hoisted in front of a U.S. Air Force plane carrying U.S. soldiers at the air force base near Siauliai Zuokniai, Lithuania, on April 26, 2014.
Flags of Lithuania, the United States, and NATO are hoisted in front of a U.S. Air Force plane carrying U.S. soldiers at the air force base near Siauliai Zuokniai, Lithuania, on April 26, 2014.

Is Lithuania the West’s First Line of Defense?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
A U.S. soldier shoots in the air with his pistol while standing guard behind barbed wire as Afghans sit on a roadside near the military part of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 20.
A U.S. soldier shoots in the air with his pistol while standing guard behind barbed wire as Afghans sit on a roadside near the military part of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 20.

What Should Biden Have Done in Afghanistan?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
A Belarusian athlete arrives at an international airport.
A Belarusian athlete arrives at an international airport.

The Geopolitical Stakes of Olympic Perfection—and Defection

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
bezos rocket
bezos rocket

Can the World Avoid War in Cyberspace—and in Space?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
Performers dressed as soldiers dance in front of a screen showing rockets being launched during a mass gala marking the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party on June 28 at the Olympic Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, China.
Performers dressed as soldiers dance in front of a screen showing rockets being launched during a mass gala marking the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party on June 28 at the Olympic Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, China.

Does Beijing’s Belligerent Birthday Party Herald a New Arms Race?

It's Debatable
Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig
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