War On The Rocks

An MQ-9 Reaper drifts ominously through the crisp, pre-dawn sky over Sanaa, Yemen. Its matte-gray fuselage blends seamlessly with the deepening hues of early morning, its whirring sensors casting an invisible gaze over bustling streets…

<!-- category --> January 29, 2025 In 2018, Fabiana Perera wrote “U.S. Policy Options for Maduro’s Venezuela: Benign Engagement, Not Benign Neglect,” assessing U.S. strategies vis-à-vis Venezuela and engagement in…

Will the Trump administration try to break the so-called “axis of upheaval”? The Russo-Ukrainian War has catalyzed the consolidation of two sets of adversarial geopolitical alignments, however loose or imperfect they might be. On the…

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.…

When President Joe Biden announced on Jan. 15, 2025 that the United States had successfully brokered a fragile ceasefire and phased hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas, he underscored how the cessation of violence could open the…

Mike Kofman joined Ryan for a wide-ranging conversation on the challenges faced by both Ukraine and Russia this year. They discuss losses on both sides, manpower challenges, the importance of following the discourse in Ukraine, the Russian…

A defense tech CEO shared a memorable insight with me over coffee last year: “Selling to government is like fighting a toddler.” Just as a toddler needs food and sleep to survive and thrive, the Defense Department has clear requirements for…

It is no secret that the American commercial shipbuilding industry is struggling. The U.S. Merchant Marine fleet is small, aging, and will be unable to provide the U.S. military with significant additional sealift capability during wartime.…

“Today, you can get in a car in Tehran and get out in the Dahia, Beirut.” Five years and two months after Gen. Qasem Soleimani made this statement, the Islamic Republic of Iran is in retreat. Iran’s air and ground lines of supply to Lebanon…

<!-- category --> January 23, 2025 Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below.…