It's Debatable
Intervention or Restraint? A Washington debate on pressing issues for policymakers.
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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg Is There a Risk of a NATO vs. Russia War?
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine marks a tectonic shift in world politics and increases the danger of superpower confrontation and the militarization of Europe.
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A Ukrainian serviceman stands in front of tanks Is There a Diplomatic Offramp in Ukraine?
As Russia masses troops along the border—and in Belarus—the prospects for peaceful resolution are fading, but there are options.
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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?
As Putin prepares to invade, Washington and its allies still appear undecided on whether Kyiv is worth fighting for.
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Police fired tear gas and stun grenades. Will Unrest in Kazakhstan Inflame Tensions Between Russia and the West?
A sudden wave of protests has spooked the Kremlin and precipitated an unprecedented intervention by Moscow and its allies.
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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?
2021 has been a lesson in the limits of U.S. foreign policy.
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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’
From omicron restrictions to the Iran deal and the democracy summit, Washington is making questionable calls that don’t inspire confidence in U.S. leadership.
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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?
Moscow’s military buildup is raising eyebrows in Washington as Belarus ups the ante in its standoff with the EU.
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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?
Climate apocalypse still looms while world leaders haggle over haggis in Glasgow.
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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?
Beijing’s FOBS delivery system could provoke an arms race—or a more stable deterrence relationship.
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A Taiwanese soldier waves a flag. Is Defending Taiwan Worth the Risk?
Chinese incursions and U.S. training of Taiwanese forces raise the specter of war. Is it a conflict the United States can handle?
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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?
The submarine deal could reshape the balance of power in the Pacific—and draw Australia into future conflicts.
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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?
The small Baltic nation is facing down threats from authoritarian regimes in Russia, Belarus, and China.
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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?
Withdrawal was always bound to be chaotic, but wishful thinking, poor planning, and glacial bureaucracies have made a difficult situation worse.
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A Belarusian athlete arrives at an international airport. The Geopolitical Stakes of Olympic Perfection—and Defection
The Tokyo Games have brought a surge of nationalism and laid bare the methods of autocrats like Belarus’s Aleksandr Lukashenko.
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bezos rocket Can the World Avoid War in Cyberspace—and in Space?
Billionaire rocket launches and ongoing cyberattacks reveal that, without norms governing conflict, there could be chaos.
