War On The Rocks

“Snow has fallen on the mountains you dreamed of.” This Turkish saying describes a situation where something that was long hoped for or dreamed of has finally become reality, but it comes with unexpected challenges, risks, or…

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. Subscribers can look forward to interesting takes…

<!-- category --> December 20, 2024 Kerry Anderson talks with Gokul Sahni, author of “The Main Drivers of Soviet Foreign Policy Towards India, 1955–1991,” published in Volume 8, Issue 1 of the Texas National Security Review.…

You might not think of military planners as the authors of fairy tales, but unfortunately many of us are. As a planner at U.S. Cyber Command (and assorted other headquarters in warmer climates), I have worked on a variety of planning teams…

<!-- category --> December 19, 2024 In 2021, Colin Clarke wrote “Killing Terrorist Leaders Is No Silver Bullet,” where he argued that leadership decapitation is not always the most viable way to dismantle a terrorist group. In…

China’s military is both corrupt and increasingly capable. Yesterday, the Pentagon released its 24th China Military Power Report since Congress initiated its mandate in 2000, offering revelations unavailable elsewhere. The document reveals…

The fall of Bashar al-Assad is transforming not just Syria but also dynamics in the broader Middle East. What implications does this have for U.S. policy in the region? Should U.S. forces withdraw, or is there a continuing role for the…

From strikes by uncrewed aerial systems launching precision Hellfire missiles in Afghanistan and Iraq to U.S. Navy ships firing missiles against Houthi targets in the Middle East over the last few years, the United States has led the world…

Will Donald Trump’s return to the White House lead to an unraveling of the security ties that the United States has cultivated in and between Europe and the Indo-Pacific? U.S. allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific have cultivated…

If Santa had a Christmas list for the Cold War, it might look something like General Harold K. Johnson’s. A Finnish immigrant, a Vietnam War widow, and a future president of the United States all made the cut — a testament to the global…