Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu points at a map of the Gaza Strip during a press conference at the Government Press Office in Jerusalem on Sept. 4.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu points at a map of the Gaza Strip during a press conference at the Government Press Office in Jerusalem on Sept. 4.

Israel’s ‘Seven-Front War’

Is Gaza just the opening battle in a war with Iran?

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House on July 25, 2024 in Washington, DC.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House on July 25, 2024 in Washington, DC.

The White House’s Puzzling Optimism Over Prospects for Gaza Cease-Fire Deal

The Biden administration has been saying for months that the Gaza cease-fire deal is almost done.

Rebecca Lissner (left), the deputy national security advisor to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, and policy advisor Ike Irby (center) speak with communications director Kirsten Allen before departing George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, on Aug. 1.
Rebecca Lissner (left), the deputy national security advisor to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, and policy advisor Ike Irby (center) speak with communications director Kirsten Allen before departing George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, on Aug. 1.

The Grand Strategist Who Has Kamala’s Ear

Rebecca Lissner doesn’t want the United States to remake the world, but to keep it open.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in protest over the war in Gaza near the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, where the Democratic National Convention is taking place, on Aug. 21. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally in protest over the war in Gaza near the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, where the Democratic National Convention is taking place, on Aug. 21. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

How Is Foreign Policy Driving the U.S. Vote?

A few wedge issues could help determine who ends up in the White House.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks alongside U.S. President Joe Biden during a Ukraine Compact initiative on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on July 11.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks alongside U.S. President Joe Biden during a Ukraine Compact initiative on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on July 11.

Washington Is Out of Sync With Its Wartime Allies

The White House has been kept out of the loop on several major wartime decisions by Israel and Ukraine.

Then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arrives to attend the meeting of Russia’s and Iran’s presidents at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 7, 2023.
Then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arrives to attend the meeting of Russia’s and Iran’s presidents at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 7, 2023.

The Kremlin Plays Mideast Crisis Broker

Russia doesn’t want Iran to escalate. But it’s also giving Tehran weapons.

A vote sign is seen in a polling location as voters check in to cast ballots in Atlanta, Georgia on May 21.
A vote sign is seen in a polling location as voters check in to cast ballots in Atlanta, Georgia on May 21.

Foreign Interference in U.S. Election Heats Up

Russia and Iran aim to sow discord in the 2024 presidential race, officials warn.

A woman reads a book on the beach in Hyères, France, on July 20.
A woman reads a book on the beach in Hyères, France, on July 20.

The Best Summer Reads for National Security Nerds

The geopolitics of Formula 1, daring women journalists of the Vietnam War, and other page-turners for the beach.

Former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential candidate pick, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, attend the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15.
Former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential candidate pick, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, attend the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15.

Trump’s VP Pick Goes America First on Foreign Policy

And the choice of J.D. Vance is causing panic among Ukrainians, Europeans, and traditional Republicans.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky leans forward with his arms braced against the back of an armchair as he waits for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Washington. Various officials and security officers stand around him.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky leans forward with his arms braced against the back of an armchair as he waits for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Washington. Various officials and security officers stand around him.

What NATO Gave Ukraine

Kyiv didn’t get an invite to join the alliance, but it left the summit with more weapons to fight Russia.

Bands that wrap the bottom of artillery shells made for the U.S. military and used by Ukraine in its war against Russia are pictured at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 16.
Bands that wrap the bottom of artillery shells made for the U.S. military and used by Ukraine in its war against Russia are pictured at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 16.

NATO’s Arms Race Against Russia Heats Up

Alliance leaders look to shake awake long dormant defense industrial bases.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., on July 8.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., on July 8.

The Republican Party Grapples With Its NATO Platform

The new GOP has a love-hate relationship with the trans-Atlantic alliance.

Groundskeepers prepare the baseball field before NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg throws out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals in Washington, D.C. on July 8.
Groundskeepers prepare the baseball field before NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg throws out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals in Washington, D.C. on July 8.

What to Watch for at NATO’s 75th Birthday Bash

Allies are bickering about whether to give Ukraine a path into NATO and worried about Biden’s fitness for office.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C. Q. Brown, Jr. speak during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on April 26.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C. Q. Brown, Jr. speak during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on April 26.

U.S. Military Courts New Partners in Africa After Major Setbacks

Top military chief visits Africa to reassess U.S. presence.

Flagpoles bearing national flags of NATO members adorn the entrance of NATO headquarters in Brussels on June 13.
Flagpoles bearing national flags of NATO members adorn the entrance of NATO headquarters in Brussels on June 13.

NATO Hits Peak 2 Percent

Seventy percent of the alliance has now reached NATO’s defense spending target.

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