Commentary

On the morning of Nov. 1, 1951, within the confines of Area 7 at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site, soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division dug foxholes and positioned weapon systems in anticipation of the Atomic Energy Commission’s…

The Scottish poet, novelist, and historian Andrew Lang once quipped that politicians use statistics the way a drunkard uses a lamppost: “for support rather than illumination.” Indeed, the same line might be applied to the way policymakers…

The presidential campaign of Javier Milei of Argentina was one of a kind, from the chainsaw he wielded at rallies to his promise to create a marketplace for human organs. He shouted “long live liberty” to screaming crowds and described his…

In Moscow last December, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar praised the “exceptional” nature of Indian-Russian relationship, describing it as the “one constant in world politics.” The reality, however, is that this relationship…

Senegal, one of West Africa’s most stable democracies has the unfortunate distinction in becoming the first member in 2024 to join the democratic backslider club. Although not yet a coup, President Macky Sall has announced the postponement…

You can’t choke a dead horse. Anyone who has studied geopolitics, particularly in the context of energy, has learned that control over waterways — most notably the Suez Canal — translates into influence, as actors can threaten to disrupt…

Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks did not happen out of the blue. They were preceded by years of bitter conflict, ever since the group consolidated its control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Months later, it remains deeply puzzling how Israel was caught so…

Russia sanctions have hit yacht owners hard. But they have impacted people who travel by more modest means as well. In February 2022, Moscow commuters crowded behind subway turnstiles, searching for coins when their Apple and Google Pay…

The U.S. Air Force deployed its first Minuteman missile in 1962. There’s no getting around this basic point, that America’s intercontinental ballistic missile fleet is a Cold War relic. At the height of the Cold War, there were more than…

Amidst Washington’s push for European support in the Indo-Pacific, has Italy proven overly eager to pivot east? Faced with the choice between directly supporting U.S. efforts to counter Beijing in the region or concentrating resources on…