National Security

Wagner group mercenaries board a helicopter.

What the Failed Wagner Mutiny Means for Africa What the Failed Wagner Mutiny Means for Africa

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mercenary army might have been disbanded in Russia, but in Africa—where the group props up dictators, extracts mineral wealth, and siphons off billions from leg...

Jul 12, 2023 / Nicolas Niarchos

Biden hands Netanyahu a pen. US and Israeli flags seen in background

In Jenin, as Elsewhere, Netanyahu Knows He Can Count on Washington’s Complicity In Jenin, as Elsewhere, Netanyahu Knows He Can Count on Washington’s Complicity

As America's nonresponse to the attack on Jenin demonstrates, support for Israeli apartheid is fully bipartisan.

Jul 7, 2023 / James Bamford

Elliott Abrams looking pensive

Henry Kissinger, Elliott Abrams, and the Rot of American Foreign Policy Henry Kissinger, Elliott Abrams, and the Rot of American Foreign Policy

Our bipartisan elite is always willing to forgive war crimes by its made men.

Jul 7, 2023 / Jeet Heer

A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning fighter jet is shown at the Singapore Airshow in 2014

The Pentagon Won Big With the Debt Ceiling Bill The Pentagon Won Big With the Debt Ceiling Bill

And thanks to a loophole in the budget deal, national security spending will only increase.

Jul 3, 2023 / William D. Hartung and Julia Gledhill

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

After the Deluge: Turkey Extends Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Rule After the Deluge: Turkey Extends Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Rule

With his opposition defeated and demoralized, Turkey's autocratic president now has a free hand.

Jun 28, 2023 / Kaya Genç

A sculpture called “Anything to Say,” which features life-sized bronze figures of whistleblowers (left-right) Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and Chelsea Manning, is unveiled at Parliament Square, London, during a protest for Assange’s release from prison.

Julian Assange and Arnon Milchan: The Lopsided Scales of American Justice Julian Assange and Arnon Milchan: The Lopsided Scales of American Justice

One has boasted of espionage. The other revealed massive government wrongdoing. So why is the whistleblower in jail?

Jun 27, 2023 / James Bamford

Members of the Wagner group prepare to pull out from the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to their base in Rostov-on-Don late on June 24, 2023.

Putin’s War Comes Home Putin’s War Comes Home

Though the Wagner mutiny was short-lived, it shows how Russia could collapse.

Jun 26, 2023 / Jeet Heer

The CIA’s New Nord Stream Narrative Is Terrifying

The CIA’s New Nord Stream Narrative Is Terrifying The CIA’s New Nord Stream Narrative Is Terrifying

Should we believe American officials who claim they can’t stop Ukraine from reckless escalation?

Jun 20, 2023 / Jeet Heer

Retired Marine Gen. James Cartwright arrives for a hearing at US District Court, October 17, 2016 in Washington, DC. Cartwright was charged with making false statements during a federal investigation.

If Donald Trump Went to Jail for Violating the Espionage Act, He’d Be an Exception If Donald Trump Went to Jail for Violating the Espionage Act, He’d Be an Exception

It’s only whistleblowers who do hard time. Generals and high officials typically get just a slap on the wrist.

Jun 20, 2023 / James Bamford

A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon that was used to destroy a Russian armored personal carrier in Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 12, 2022.

What China Stands to Gain From Peace Talks What China Stands to Gain From Peace Talks

Growing geopolitical power is giving China both the motivation and potentially even the means to negotiate an end to the fighting in Ukraine.

Jun 16, 2023 / Alfred McCoy

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