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Defense

Commentary

NATO Muddles Through in Chicago

An anticlimactic summit revealed most of the allies lack the will and the wallet to fulfill NATO's lofty promises.

Islam and McCarthyism

After a decade of controversial tactics, the Pentagon is cracking down on how Islam is taught to the U.S. military.

The New Great Game

Once the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan, Washington will no longer set the rules in Southwest Asia.

Essays

An Asian Security Standoff

An intense security competition is under way in East Asia. Beijing and Washington must take care to ensure that this competition does not give way to entrenched bloody-mindedness or even outright violence.

Why We Exist

The National Interest stands for realism in U.S. international relations, a conviction that foreign policy should be based upon real-world considerations—forces, pressures and passions emanating from factors of culture and geography.

Triumph of the New Wilsonism

No national interest was cited as a rationale for America's Libya campaign; the action was justified solely on humanitarian grounds. This marks a fundamental break with past U.S. policy prescriptions for such military interventions.

The End of the American Era

Two lost wars. Eroding infrastructure. A crippled economy. The time when the United States could create and lead a political, economic and security order in virtually every part of the world is over. The cure? A new American strategy.

The Dalai Lama's War

Nearly fifty years ago, India and China met in a brief, bloody border clash that would come to define—and destroy—the legendary Nehru. Was this the first step in an inevitable clash between two rising civilizations?

The Zawahiri Era

Meet Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian doctor-turned-jihadist-mastermind—and the new head of al-Qaeda. He will out-terrorize his predecessor. Prepare for the new age of jihad.

Blogs

Opinions in Uniform

There is a very real place in foreign-policy debates for current and retired military personnel. Civilian governments would be wise to listen.

Books & Reviews

Whose World Is It Anyway?

Charles Kupchan’s engaging new tome describes a world where global governance is collapsing and nations have only the barest common ground of agreement. But his analysis is marred by unworkable policy prescriptions and a static perspective.

The Hagiography of Mr. Holbrooke

Richard “The Bulldozer” Holbrooke left a deep mark on U.S. foreign policy. Yet this collection of essays by his friends and admirers, which gushes with praise, leaves out significant elements of the story.

The Contradictions of George Kennan

George Kennan presents a study in paradox. With penetrating scholarship, John Lewis Gaddis explores Kennan’s complex psychology and provides an intellectual history of the Cold War in his comprehensive and wonderfully written biography.

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May 26, 2012