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War On The Rocks
With Friends Like These: World War II Advisory Efforts and the Origins of Sino-U.S. Competition
Sara B. Castro, Mission to Mao: U.S. Intelligence and the Chinese Communists in World War II (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2024); Zach Fredman, The Tormented Alliance: American Servicemen and the Occupation of China,…
Rewind and Reconnoiter: When Aid Turns Into Extremism
<!-- category --> November 14, 2024 In 2018, Jessica Trisko Darden wrote “Compounding Violent Extremism? When Efforts to Prevent Violence Backfire” where she argued that government-funded development programs intended to counter…
Behind Iran’s Surging Military Budget
On Nov. 8, 2024, Iran announced its proposed military budget for the year 1404 (March 2025–March 2026). In response to both internal priorities and external pressures, Iran plans to increase its military budget by 200 percent.
Iran’s…
In Brief: North Korea’s Critical Allies
A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.…
I Blame the Navy’s Strategic Woes on the Chiefs of Naval Operations
There is no shortage of problems confronting the U.S. Navy, as salvo after salvo of embarrassing stories attest. The range of problems is spectacularly depressing, addressing almost every facet of the Navy — from the design, production,…
As Ukraine Stumbles and Russia Advances, What Does it Mean?
<!-- category --> November 12, 2024 Mike Kofman came by WOTR HQ to discuss the state of the front and findings from his most recent research trip to Ukraine. From North Korean troops, to manpower woes, to Donald Trump coming…
Balancing Risk: Ensuring the Safety of U.S. Peacekeepers in U.N. Missions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s calls for the withdrawal of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, and headlines of rocket attacks resulting in numerous casualties, have brought to the…
How Naval Interdiction Could Help Curb Haiti’s Gangs
Money is the sinew of all wars. In Haiti, feuding gangs are financed by illicit traffic of all sorts, including narcotics and weapons. Disrupting that flow of cash could help provide some leverage to the authorities trying desperately to…
How to Talk to a Veteran
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in War on the Rocks to honor Veterans Day in 2017. Seven years later, its message of fostering meaningful communication between servicemembers and civilians is more important than ever.
This…
Mid-Afternoon Map: The Maps Diverge
<!-- category --> November 8, 2024 Welcome to Mid-Afternoon Map, our exclusive members-only newsletter that provides a cartographic perspective on current events, geopolitics, and history from the Caucasus to the Carolinas.…
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