The most dangerous threats to US national security

The most dangerous threats to US national security

As summer wanes and the fall air turns crisp, it’s hard not to feel a sense of normalcy. The predictability of the seasons marked by the excitement of a new school year (not to mention a new NFL season) makes us feel safe and at home. But the year-to-date in international affairs has been anything […]

Did the CIA pull a spy out of Russia out of fear Trump would expose him?

Did the CIA pull a spy out of Russia out of fear Trump would expose him?

On Monday, CNN reported that a high-level intelligence asset was exfiltrated from Russia in 2017 after senior officials grew concerned that the president may unintentionally expose the person to Russian officials. The story, which is substantiated by CNN’s claims of anonymous informants within the White House, has yet to be corroborated by any further evidence. […]

Business or politics: Where do top military execs fare best?

Business or politics: Where do top military execs fare best?

By now everyone has probably seen the coverage of Michael Flynn’s recent trial, in which the presiding judge, Emmet Sullivan, told Flynn he had “sold your country out” after he was found guilty of lying to the FBI about his dealing with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian Ambassador, according to a report from the USA Today. […]

Geopolitics made simple: You’re just a guy in a bar

Geopolitics made simple: You’re just a guy in a bar

The problem with foreign policy and geopolitics has never been about the mechanisms of international relations. For all intents and purposes, our global powers interact quite a bit like patrons at a crowded bar: trying to manage polite dialogue with familiar strangers, all the while maintaining closely held ulterior motives. That guy in the corner […]

Did the Air Force Secretary use dirty politics to undermine Trump’s Space Force?

Did the Air Force Secretary use dirty politics to undermine Trump’s Space Force?

It’s been no secret that President Trump’s directive to establish a new branch of the American armed forces tasked specifically with space defense has had its critics within the Defense Department. While there seems to be no debate regarding the need for orbital defense, the conflict has primarily been focused on how to go about […]

Analyzing the politics behind the Russian nerve agent deaths in the UK

Analyzing the politics behind the Russian nerve agent deaths in the UK

The UK government announced this week that it had concluded its investigation into the attempted assassination of former Russian military intelligence officer turned double agent, Sergei Skripal, in Salisbury, England, earlier this year. Skripal and his daughter were both exposed to a Soviet era nerve agent known as Novichok — a weapon devised specifically by […]

Terrorism Again Thrust Into Presidential Politics

Terrorism Again Thrust Into Presidential Politics

The mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., elevated an issue that Republican Donald Trump has been stressing throughout his presidential campaign: the threat posed by jihadists bent on killing Americans at home. Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent, on Sunday emphasized other dynamics. She said the U.S. must work with “allies and partners” to foil terrorists. She […]

Russian geo-politics

Russian geo-politics

For half a millennium, Russian foreign policy has been characterized by soaring ambitions that have exceeded the country’s capabilities. Beginning with the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the sixteenth century, Russia managed to expand at an average rate of 50 square miles per day for hundreds of years, eventually covering one-sixth of the earth’s […]

Uzbekistan: Human Rights Abuses, Line of Succession, and Central Asian Geopolitics

Uzbekistan: Human Rights Abuses, Line of Succession, and Central Asian Geopolitics

In part one of this article series on Uzbekistan, I explored the changing security dynamic of Central Asia and the impact that the adjustments have had on both United States policy towards Uzbekistan and military modernization in the former Soviet republic. Uzbekistan’s recent policy pivots, to include an agreement on acquiring military weapons systems from […]