Stephen M. Walt

Stephen M. Walt is a columnist at Foreign Policy and the Robert and Renée Belfer professor of international relations at Harvard University.

Follow Stephen M. Walt:
On Bluesky
On X
Articles by Stephen M. Walt
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a 2020 U.S. presidential candidate, speaks during the "We The People" Summit at the Warner Theater in Washington on April 1, 2019.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a 2020 U.S. presidential candidate, speaks during the "We The People" Summit at the Warner Theater in Washington on April 1, 2019.

Grow Up About Dictators, America!

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during an event to unveil changes to the National Environmental Policy Act at the White House in Washington on Jan. 9.
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during an event to unveil changes to the National Environmental Policy Act at the White House in Washington on Jan. 9.

Trump Is Failing His Dictatorship Test

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
The European Union flag is seen through a windshield covered with raindrops in Sofia, Bulgaria on May 15, 2006.
The European Union flag is seen through a windshield covered with raindrops in Sofia, Bulgaria on May 15, 2006.

Europe’s Post-Brexit Future Is Looking Scary

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos

Who’s More Powerful, Jeff Bezos or Mohammed bin Salman? Neither.

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office of the White House on May 10, 2017.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office of the White House on May 10, 2017.

Why Is the United States So Bad at Foreign Policy?

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
A man holds a picture of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Maj. Gen. Qassem Suleimani during a demonstration in Tehran on Jan. 3.
A man holds a picture of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Maj. Gen. Qassem Suleimani during a demonstration in Tehran on Jan. 3.

Trump’s Iran Policy Is Brain-Dead

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg chairs the NAC-ICI meeting of NATO member states.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg chairs the NAC-ICI meeting of NATO member states.

The World Didn’t Change Much in 2019. That’s Bad News for 2020.

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley before addressing troops at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan during a surprise Thanksgiving Day visit on Nov. 28.
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley before addressing troops at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan during a surprise Thanksgiving Day visit on Nov. 28.

Everyone Knows America Lost Afghanistan Long Ago

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
U.S. President Donald Trump pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Nov. 26
U.S. President Donald Trump pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Nov. 26

10 Things in the World to Be Thankful for in 2019

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent and top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine William Taylor
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent and top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine William Taylor

Impeachment Is Redeeming the Blob

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
U.S. President Donald Trump reaches to shake Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's hand
U.S. President Donald Trump reaches to shake Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's hand

How to Tell if You’re in a Good Alliance

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
An election campaign poster for President Bashar al-Assad.
An election campaign poster for President Bashar al-Assad.

Assad Is Now Syria’s Best-Case Scenario

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House.

Welcome to Trump’s Impeachment Foreign Policy

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
U.S. President Donald Trump stands in the colonnade as he is introduced to speak to March for Life participants and pro-life leaders in the Rose Garden at the White House on Jan. 19, 2018 in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Donald Trump stands in the colonnade as he is introduced to speak to March for Life participants and pro-life leaders in the Rose Garden at the White House on Jan. 19, 2018 in Washington, DC.

The Realist Case for Impeachment

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
U.S. President Donald Trump wears the Order of Abdulaziz al-Saud medal.
U.S. President Donald Trump wears the Order of Abdulaziz al-Saud medal.

Trump’s Shameless Path to the Nobel Peace Prize

Voice
Stephen M. Walt
Load more by Stephen M. Walt Return to staff list

Latest

See All Stories

Trending

  1. 1
    Trump Is Pushing India to Submit to China
  2. 2
    When the Threat Is Inside the White House
  3. 3
    The Generation Iranian Hard-Liners Have Been Waiting for
  4. 4
    Why Brazil Might End Up With Higher Tariffs Than Any Other Nation
  5. 5
    Trump’s Missed Opportunities Are Piling Up