Security & Defense

The state of great power competition in the Gulf

By Jonathan Fulton

This issue brief examines Gulf states' strategic positioning amid shifting global power dynamics, the opportunities and challenges of great power competition, and regional efforts toward de-escalation and development.

Why the Arctic matters to the United States

By Julia Nesheiwat

The region is rapidly becoming a geopolitical arena where Russia and China’s deepening cooperation challenges Western dominance.

In Munich, a reminder that economic security is national security

By Kimberly Donovan, Lize de Kruijf

Policymakers at this year's MSC raised economic security as an issue that they cannot cordon off separately from traditional security issues.

Fiber-optic drones have emerged as critical kit for both Russia and Ukraine

By Vlad Sutea

Fiber-optic drones may not replace conventional unmanned systems, but they have established themselves in Ukraine as a durable component of the modern battlefield toolkit, writes Vlad Sutea.

Ukrainians don’t want to be resilient. Putin has given them no other choice.

By Peter Dickinson

For the past four years, Ukrainians have been praised for their remarkable resilience, but in reality most recognize that Russia's genocidal invasion leaves them with no real choice but to fight on, writes Peter Dickinson.

What I told Israeli lawmakers about reviving regional integration

By Daniel B. Shapiro

Careful implementation of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan and expanded regional integration can be mutually reinforcing.

Toxins are an escalating global threat. Here’s how governments should respond.

By Asha M. George, John T. O’Brien

Recent cases in the news of poisons derived directly from plant or animal life highlight a danger that is too often overlooked in biodefense.

The US-Lithuania LNG partnership exposes the myth that there are ‘no alternatives’ to Russian gas

As US LNG exports grow, a Baltic ally that decided to break with Russia more than a decade ago shows the way forward for Europe.

Why Colombia’s veterans are going to war in Ukraine

By Erin K. McFee

A lack of economic opportunities and pathways to reintegration is leading Colombian veterans to fight for Ukraine.