Two years after the withdrawal of all US military forces from Iraq, the Iraqi military is facing major challenges as it seeks to confront a resurgence of Islamist violence.

Reaching a comprehensive deal with Iran over the country’s nuclear program will be tough for President Obama. Even successful bilateral negotiations would only be the first step, because in fact, his negotiations with Iran are actually three sets of interconnected...

It is far too easy to concentrate on the tensions with Afghan President Hamid Karzai over the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) and ignore the sheer lack of U.S. debate over the value of staying in Afghanistan.  The key question is whether there is a legitimate case...

One needs to be very careful about the deal the P5+1 has reached with Iran.  It is still not clear that the Supreme Leader will accept it or that Iran will put it into practice. It is a preliminary agreement that must be followed up by lasting Iranian compliance,...

While North Korea would appear to be the most prominent nuclear risk in Asia, the United States faces a more complex web of nuclear challenges as it works to build secure and sustainable relationships in that region. More than ever, a strong U.S. role in nuclear energy and...

Every conflict is a laboratory for the evolution of military operations. Peacetime militaries develop concepts and capabilities to accomplish tasks around a given vision. As soon as peace gives way to conflict, the gaps between concepts and reality become rapidly apparent....

Following 12 years of conflict in the Middle East, the Syrian civil war has presented the United States with a hard test of its appetite for military intervention. The Obama administration has faced public reluctance, political division, and a deep fiscal crisis as it has...

Western influence in the Middle East has many drivers: the strong economies of Western states, strong trade with the region, and diplomatic clout around the world. Underlying all of those factors, however, is Western states’ willingness to go to war to defend friends...

The visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is scarcely something to celebrate. There will be the usual vacuous speeches and empty, dishonest rhetoric. Words like “democracy” and “partnership” will be misused with the usual lack of concern....