Elephants in the Room

Neither Trump nor the international relations experts who cheered his choice to withdraw U.S. troops have wrestled adequately with the costs of departure.

The withdrawal from Syria is part of a broader pattern of weakness, especially in response to Iran.

Tensions and lawlessness could spiral into armed conflict.

When it comes to international cooperation, the White House is repeating the mistakes of the past.

On Beijing’s doorstep, Ulaanbaatar continues to defy the geopolitical odds.

Donald Trump should use the U.N. General Assembly as an opportunity to open dialogue with Mohammad Javad Zarif.

It’s finally time to breathe new life into the country’s moribund economy.

China risks becoming a point of chronic contention between the United States and Israel.

Prime Minister Mahdi is trying to bring the Popular Mobilization Forces under control of the government, but even he probably knows it won’t work.

The United States and Russia can’t maintain the global system of nuclear deterrence on their own anymore.

U.S. health aid can also promote stability, mitigate extremism, and avoid costly longer-term military interventions.

It won’t bring the regime in from the cold, but it will save lives.

Republicans and Democrats have every reason to compromise and ratify the agreement.

Maximum pressure could still deliver strategic outcomes.

Even with the eyes of the world elsewhere, here’s how Trump can keep up pressure on Maduro.

The United States is not making progress in its trade war with China or in nuclear talks with North Korea.

The United States should not abandon the Sudanese in their greatest hour of need.

Seventy-five years after D-Day, the United States should remember that on-the-ground leadership still works.

New negotiations could be Tehran’s only option.

Anti-migration parties may become victims of their own success.

Obscured by chaos and dysfunction, the White House is pursuing approaches that are better than they seem.

Legislators must reinsert themselves into the trade policymaking process.

Trump should not waste his opportunity to begin repairing Wahhabism’s trail of wreckage.

It is hard for the country to move West with Russia on its back.

The war is not yet over and its outcome is not yet certain.

The outcome of the vote is not nearly as important as the quality of the electoral process.

Like it or not, Washington’s ties with Riyadh still matter.