National Security

Mitigating the security risks posed by a near-nuclear Iran

By Matthew Kroenig

Deal or no deal, Iran will still pose a destabilizing nuclear security threat, writes Senior Fellow Matthew Kroenig As worldwide attention focuses on the international negotiators rushing to finish a nuclear deal with Iran before a self-imposed November 24 deadline, we are in danger of overlooking the fact that Iran’s extant nuclear capability already presents […]

National Security and Digital prosperity after Snowden: A discussion with David Ignatius.

Edward Snowden’s revelations of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) extensive data collection programs last year sparked an intense debate on the future of electronic surveillance in the United States and globally. As the extent of electronic surveillance has moved to the forefront of the American political discourse, the effects of Snowden’s revelations on the future […]

North Korea: Expect the Unexpected

By Robert A. Manning

Where is North Korea headed? When we last heard from the Boy General, Kim Jong-un, he was rationalizing the sudden and brutal execution of Pyongyang’s No.2,  Jang Sang Thaek, followed by threats to “strike mercilessly without notice” in response to anti-Kim protests in Seoul.

The security of cities: ecology and conflict on an urbanizing planet

By Peter Engelke

A new report issued jointly by the Atlantic Council and the Stimson Center, The Security of Cities: Ecology and Conflict on an Urbanizing Planet, argues that the environmental security field has yet to incorporate global urbanization, the twenty-first century’s central demographic trend, fully into its purview.

National Security and the Shutdown

By Derek S. Reveron

When he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen forewarned “the single, biggest threat to our national security is our debt.” While not exclusively related to the $16.7 trillion debt, the government shutdown offers an unfortunate opportunity to see the impact on national security when the government lacks an operating budget.

Obama Will Seek Congressional Authorization on Syria

In an announcement from the Rose Garden at the White House, President Obama announced two decisions on Syria. He said in his statement that he has decided the United States should take military action against the regime in Syria for their use of chemical weapons.

US Spy Agencies Mounted 231 Offensive Cyber-Operations in 2011, Documents Show

By Barton Gellman and Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post

U.S. intelligence services carried out 231 offensive cyber-operations in 2011

US Strike on Syria Could Be Prelude to Diplomacy

By Barbara Slavin

It’s hard to accuse the Barack Obama administration of being trigger happy.   While Obama has been willing to use force to kill Taliban and al-Qaida militants, he has studiously avoided embroiling the United States in another war in the Middle East or South Asia.   The apparent U.S. decision to strike Syria for what […]