It's Debatable
Intervention or Restraint? A Washington debate on pressing issues for policymakers.
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biden afghan withdrawal Is Leaving Afghanistan Misguided or Overdue?
Biden’s withdrawal announcement is meant to end a 20-year war, but Washington has been dragged back into conflicts before.
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Protesters at a vigil in Myanmar. Are U.S. and Chinese Interests Really Opposed in Iran and Myanmar?
Beijing is making moves to ensure regional dominance in Southeast Asia and oil supplies from the Middle East. It could be shooting itself in the foot.
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Peace activists wearing masks pose with mock nuclear missiles. Will Biden’s Approach to China and Russia Work?
The new administration’s interim national security guidance gets many things right—but it has its shortcomings.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) meets with the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi (R), in Tehran, on Feb. 21. Who’s to Blame for Stalling U.S.-Iran Negotiations?
Biden was expected to revive the nuclear deal quickly—but as pro-Iran militias attack U.S. forces in Iraq and Washington strikes back in Syria, direct talks aren’t on the horizon.
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U.S. Army soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division arrive home from a 9-month deployment in Afghanistan on Dec. 8, 2020 at Fort Drum, New York. Should Biden Ditch All of Trump’s Policies?
From Afghanistan to China, the new administration seems likely to hold on to some ideas from the previous one.
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Joe Biden and Xi Jinping toast during a State Luncheon for China hosted on September 25, 2015 at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. Will Biden Have to Choose Between U.S. Interests and Human Rights?
A coup in Myanmar and Russia’s sentencing of Alexei Navalny raise questions about whether promoting U.S. values could weaken Washington’s hand when it comes to great-power competition.
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Antony Blinken testifies at his confirmation hearing to become the U.S. secretary of state before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington on Jan. 19. What Do the Confirmation Hearings Tell Us About Biden’s Foreign Policy?
With Avril Haines and Lloyd Austin confirmed, key officials are starting to offer hints of what’s in store.
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Members of the Swat team patrol and secure the Statuary Hall before U.S. Vice President makes his way into the House Chamber, at the U.S. Capitol, on the morning of Jan. 7 hours after a mob invaded the building. Will the World Take the United States Seriously After the Capitol Invasion?
After a pro-Trump mob stormed Congress, Americans might have a harder time accomplishing their diplomatic goals from Europe to China.
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A participant takes part on the first day of the 36C3 Chaos Communication Congress on Dec. 27, 2019 in Leipzig, Germany. The four-day event under the topic "Resource Exhaustion" brings together about 17,000 hackers, artists, researchers, and technology fans. Is the Cyberattack Big News—or Just a Footnote In a Year Like No Other?
Will 2021 be full of foreign-policy crises and domestic drama or dull compared to 2020?
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President-elect Joe Biden departs after delivering a Thanksgiving address at the Queen Theatre on Nov. 25 in Wilmington, Delaware. Will Biden’s National Security Team Include Members of the Democratic Party’s Progressive Wing?
The president-elect’s picks have deep experience in the Washington establishment. It’s unclear whether the party’s left can make its voice heard in the new administration.
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U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to present the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Major Thomas P. Payne on September 11, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Will Trump Try to Bomb Iran Before He Leaves the White House?
This is a lame-duck presidency unlike any other and the potential for surprises—and conflict—are high.
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Counterprotesters debate a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump Is an Undecided U.S. Presidential Election a National Security Threat?
As U.S. states count votes, are foreign states seeking to undermine American interests from East Asia to East Africa?
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U.S. President Donald Trump, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, and moderator, NBC News anchor Kristen Welker, participate in the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 22. Trump and Biden Are Both Touting Foreign-Policy Failures as Achievements
With the world on fire from Thailand to Nigeria, there wasn’t much talk of international affairs in the final debate of the 2020 campaign—and when there was, both candidates defended flawed approaches to North Korea.
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Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence participate in the vice presidential debate moderated by Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today Susan Page at the University of Utah on Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Is a Vice President Who Doesn’t Know Much About Foreign Policy a National Security Risk?
Pence and Harris talked about international politics at the debate, but their performances will leave voters asking if they would be ready to act as commander in chief.
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The flag-draped casket of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at the top of the front steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC on Sept. 24. Can the United States’ Democratic Institutions Survive the 2020 Election Campaign?
Trampled institutional norms, a battle over the Supreme Court, and the possibility of Democratic retaliation could threaten the bedrock of American democracy.
