Argument
An expert’s point of view on a current event.
-
The late Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaks during a memorial service beneath portraits of slain Hezbollah leader Hasssan Nasrallah, Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, and Nasrallah's successor, Hashem Safieddine, at the Grand Mosque in Tehran on Feb. 23. Iran Is Islamism’s Last Lifeline in the Middle East
Without support from a weakened Tehran, the region’s extremist movements would wither.
-
A counterterrorism officer stands in front of Trump Tower in New York on March 30, 2023. Terrorism Means Something Different Now
The firewall between violent nonstate actors and conventional warfare has become highly permeable.
-
A U.N. peacekeeper in a blue helmet is seen in profile as he holds the pole of a blue U.N. flag in front of a razor wire border fence. Three other blue-helmet troops are visible behind him, holding rifles and peering at the camera. The landscape beyond the fence is a dusty hill spotted with sparse plants. At 80, the U.N. Is Down But Not Out
Despite its many failings, the 80-year-old institution still has a vital role.
-
A poster of Trump kneeling before Khamenei. Two women walk past it. Trump Is Just Trying to Save Face
It is becoming harder than ever to imagine that Iran will abandon nuclear ambitions.
-
U.S. President Donald Trump looks down and adjusts his suit lapels as he poses alongside other leaders standing in rows for a family photo. The leaders around him face the camera and smile. NATO Is Avoiding a Difficult Conversation
Leaders lack public approval to make good on their promises on defense spending.
-
Demonstrators wave Iranian flags and a poster of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, during a protest against Israeli attacks on Iran in Tehran on June 20. How the U.S. Locked Itself Into a Regime Change War
Trump’s insistence on zero enrichment was a poison pill in talks with Iran.
-
An operational timeline of a strike on Iran is displayed during a Pentagon news conference on June 22. Trump’s Illiberal Interventionism
The president swore off building nations, not destroying them.
-
Israeli nationalists wave flags as they dance and march in the streets during a parade marking Jerusalem Day on June 6, 2005 in Jerusalem, Israel. Israel Can Still Lose the Peace
History shows that Israel’s successful wars don’t always produce stability.
-
A U.S. B-2 "Spirit" stealth bomber flies over Pasadena, California, on Jan. 1. Strikes on Iran Show the Force, and Limits, of Airpower
Technical dominance can’t compel regime change.
-
Crowds of people gather for an anti-nuclear demonstration in New York's Central Park on June 12, 1982. How to Fix the Cracks in the Nuclear Dam
The crisis in the Middle East shows why the world must repair Trump’s damage to the nonproliferation landscape.
-
Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's U.N. ambassador, speaks during a Security Council meeting. Trump Makes Devastating Strike on U.S. Diplomatic Credibility
The attack on Iran makes it harder to get any adversaries to the table.
-
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney shakes hands with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu on March 23, 2008, at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. Don’t Call the War on Iran Preemptive
Why the official justifications for the war don’t have legal merit.
-
Two U.S. National Guard soldiers armed with machine guns and grenade launchers in Los Angeles in 1992. One smiles at the camera behind a face shield. A Rare Presidential Power Could Enable Trump’s Authoritarianism
To rein in executive authority, Congress needs to reform the Insurrection Act.
-
Gen. Dan Caine gestures to a cutout displaying U.S. strikes on Iran. Why a Wider War With Iran Is Unlikely
The regime is too weak to escalate or dash to a bomb.
-
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump looks on, May 28, 2025. Trump Lacks the Patience for Peace
Why the mercurial president has failed to deliver on his anti-war rhetoric.
