Analysis

Analysis offers a new angle on a contemporary or historical issue. These articles are policy-oriented and cover current developments around the globe that impinge upon American foreign policy and national security priorities.

Assessing the Biden Administration’s Interim Syria Strategy

After taking office in January, the Biden administration began a review of American policy in Syria and the ongoing civil war there. This review sought to turn the page on Trump administration policies, which shifted U.S. priorities in Syria...

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Russia is Hammering the U.S. in Cyberspace, Why is Biden Meeting with Putin at All?

In 2009, while working in Washington, D.C., I remember the issue of Russian criminal syndicate hacking arising for the first time. Discussions about an appropriate measured response—one that would deter criminal hacking groups in places like Russia—quickly led to...

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A Wave of “Smile Offensives” in the Middle East: Why, and How Real?

Regional power politics in the Middle East have, since the Arab Uprisings of 2011-13, played out on two overlapping axes. The older one is a geopolitical and ideological competition between the “Resistance Front” led by the Islamic Republic of...

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How China Seized the Initiative on Blockchain and Digital Currency

Global information networks are undergoing unprecedented innovation, driven in large part by the emergence of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and 5G. Unfortunately for the United States, two other critical, but underappreciated, components of...

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Taiwan and the Future of its International Participation Efforts

On May 24, the World Health Assembly began its annual meeting, again focusing on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And again, for the fifth straight year, Taiwan has been excluded from participating as an observer despite significant international support. Last...

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China’s Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile Capability in the South China Sea

In August 2020, China fired what were reported to be anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) into the South China Sea. The missile firings were the second time that China launched such missiles into the disputed waters. The first occurred in...

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The Three Seas Initiative and Realizing a Foreign Policy for the Middle Class

Since taking office, President Joseph Biden has promoted a foreign policy for the middle class, a key promise from the campaign trail. According to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, this means that “everything we do in our foreign policy...

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Understanding the Origins of Pan-Islamism during World War I

The German-Ottoman jihadization of Islam during World War I led to the development of the first Sunni theory of Islamism. It called for Islamic lands to run their regions under one global brotherhood and to fight enemies according to...

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The Tension Between Secrecy and Innovation

One of the most harmful effects of China’s cyber espionage and from whistleblowers who publish classified information is the bureaucratic response that it triggers. Most agencies double down on secrecy. They install software to track access, monitor online behavior,...

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China’s Maritime Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Capability in the South China Sea

Detecting, identifying, and tracking ships at sea are among the most fundamental intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks that any country must perform if it wants to exert control over a maritime area—a goal China has long sought to...

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