Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

Explore the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s latest insights, commentary, articles, media hits, and in-depth reports

All commentary & analysis

In the News

Sep 10, 2021

Ashford in Politico: Defense Priorities’ symposium on lessons from Afghanistan

By Atlantic Council

On September 10, Politico featured in its National Security Daily newsletter a Defense Priorities’s symposium on the lessons from the war in Afghanistan to which Emma Ashford contributed to. “FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — AFGHANISTAN LESSONS LEARNED: The pro-restraint Defense Priorities think tank will post an expert symposium of lessons from the war in Afghanistan […]

Afghanistan English

In the News

Sep 10, 2021

Kroenig and Ashford discuss the brewing refugee crisis in Eastern Europe and the new Taliban government

By Atlantic Council

On September 10, Foreign Policy published a biweekly column featuring Scowcroft Center deputy director Matthew Kroenig and New American Engagement Initiative senior fellow Emma Ashford discussing the latest news in international affairs. In this column, they discuss Belarus’ attempt to inundate Eastern Europe with migrants, threats to democracy in Brazil, and the newly announced Taliban government in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Belarus

In the News

Sep 9, 2021

Ashford on the Pop & Locke podcast: The Hurt Locker and the legacies of the war on terror

By Atlantic Council

On September 9, Emma Ashford joined Natalie Dowzicky, Landry Ayres, and Eric Gomez on the Pop and Locke podcast to discuss the movie “The Hurt Locker,” and the legacies of the war on terror. They discussed whether the movie is an accurate depiction of the experiences of service members during the Iraq War and how […]

English Iraq

New Atlanticist

Sep 9, 2021

We have heroes, not avengers: A generation shaped by 9/11

By Caroline Multerer

The children of 2001 are frustrated—but not disgruntled.

Resilience Resilience & Society

In the News

Sep 8, 2021

Ashford at CSIS: Military Challenges to Future NATO Enlargement

By Atlantic Council

On September 8, Ashford participated in a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies around a new paper on the future of NATO expansion and was appointed a Nonresident Fellow at the Modern War Institute as West Point for the 2021-2022 academic year. “Past NATO expansion helped create a Europe whole, free, […]

English Europe & Eurasia

In the News

Sep 8, 2021

Ashford in Vox: “I think it’s the rise of China, and more broadly the fact that America is in relative decline … that is where we start hearing some talk of constraints.”

By Atlantic Council

On September 8, Ashford was quoted in a Vox article by Zack Beauchamp on the decline of liberal interventionism. “‘I don’t actually think that the failures of foreign policy in the Middle East alone were enough to catalyze this shift’ against interventionism, says Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank. ‘I […]

Afghanistan Conflict

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Extremist communications: The future is corporate

By Jennifer A. Counter

Digital platforms have enabled white supremacists such as The Base to build out networks in North America, Europe, and Australia, and provide extremist groups with a low- to zero-cost means to disseminate their messages.

National Security Security & Defense

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Does treating Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism advance or hold back US national security interests?

By Nate Rosenblatt

In 1979, the United States designated Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, putting it on its first-ever such list along with Libya, Iraq, and the former South Yemen.

Middle East National Security

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Combating domestic extremism means combating the insider threat in law enforcement

By Mary McCord

Dozens of law enforcement officers have been investigated or charged for their participation in events culminating in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol.

National Security Nationalism

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Preparing for future concepts in terrorism: Non-kinetic acts and decentralization

By Arun Iyer

Twenty years ago, on September 11, 2001, the world saw a coordinated attack on the United States that struck us as “unimaginable” at the time.

National Security Security & Defense

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Facing the future of bioterrorism

By Barry Pavel and Vikram Venkatram

Biotechnology has developed at an astounding rate over the first twenty years of the twenty-first century. Emerging biotechnological tools have become cheaper and more accessible than ever before, and less expertise is necessary to use those tools effectively.

Security & Defense Terrorism

Article

Sep 7, 2021

OPINION: We are all responsible for 6/5

By Max Brooks

If there is any hope of preventing another 6/5, and defusing the smoldering rebellion behind it, we must first admit that we are all to blame.

Security & Defense Terrorism

Article

Sep 7, 2021

The global war on terrorism wrecked relations with Iran

By Barbara Slavin

The most fundamental strategic error of the George W. Bush administration following the September 11, 2001, attacks was launching a “Global War on Terrorism” that failed to distinguish properly between those responsible for the 9/11 attacks and other US adversaries.

Iran Middle East

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Counterterrorism and great-power competition

By Nathan Sales

For nearly two decades after the attacks of September 11, 2001, counterterrorism was the United States’ top national security and foreign policy priority. That is no longer the case, as resources and policy maker bandwidth are increasingly shifting to challenges associated with peer and near-peer rivals such as China and Russia.

China Middle East

Article

Sep 7, 2021

An intellectual reckoning on counterterrorism

By LTG Michael Nagata

The time has come for the US counterterrorism community to undertake a difficult and probably painful review of whether the United States’ current practices and investments are sufficiently advancing its strategic interests and policy goals against terrorism.

Security & Defense Terrorism

Article

Sep 7, 2021

The enduring threat of domestic terrorism

By Javed Ali

The Biden administration has rightly prioritized domestic terrorism as the number one counterterrorism concern in the United States.

National Security Security & Defense

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Hyper-tribalism and the US domestic terrorism threat

By Christopher P. Costa

After the January 6, 2021, breach of the US Capitol, the consequences of polarization, disinformation, and hyper-tribalism make domestic political violence the most pressing terrorism challenge facing US counterterrorism.

Nationalism Politics & Diplomacy

Article

Sep 7, 2021

We are in the interwar period

By Thomas S. Warrick

In September 2021, the United States is only in between major terrorist attacks. This prediction should not be controversial—but today this way of looking at counterterrorism is.

Middle East National Security

In the News

Sep 4, 2021

Ashford in The Week: The limits of power

By Atlantic Council

On September 4, Emma Ashford was quoted in the editor’s letter for the new edition of The Week, focusing on the Afghan withdrawal. “The U.S. had searing proof of that in Vietnam, but the shock of 9/11 created a national amnesia that the Bush administration exploited in trying to nation-build Afghanistan, and then, more recklessly, […]

Afghanistan Conflict

In the News

Sep 3, 2021

Kohistany interviewed by CNN on Afghanistan

By Atlantic Council

Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow M. Lyla Kohistany speaks with CNN on the unfolding situation in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Crisis Management
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