Security & Defense

Are Belarus and Russia using migrant crisis to smuggle agents into Europe?

By Brian Whitmore

Elements of a new Iron Curtain are appearing along Belarus's border with the EU and officials are growing concerned that Putin and Lukashenka may be using the migrant crisis to smuggle agents into Europe.

Putin’s Ukraine war is world’s worst-kept secret but he remains in denial

By Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin's refusal to acknowledge his country's involvement in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine makes progress towards peace virtually impossible.

Russia is the world’s leading exporter of instability

By Iuliia Mendel

Vladimir Putin's Russia has emerged over the past two decades as the world's leading exporter of instability via tools ranging from digital disinformation and weaponized corruption to cyber attacks and military mercenaries.

The Powell Doctrine’s wisdom must live on

By Christopher Preble

Colin Powell’s criteria governing the use of force abroad aimed to ensure that war is always a last resort. US leaders shouldn't forget that as they honor his legacy.

FAST THINKING: What to do about China’s hypersonic weapons

By Atlantic Council

Should US defense officials be worried about the pace of Chinese military modernization? What could China do with such weapons? Our experts fire off their thoughts.

We’re at the perilous beginning of an uncertain era in US-China relations

By Frederick Kempe

The United States and China represent the most significant bilateral relationship in human history—and neither side is managing their rising tensions with adequate skill or durable strategy.

State of the Order: Assessing September 2021

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.