The New National Defense Strategy: Everything is a Priority

The National Interest February 2, 2018 Lost to all but the most committed security wonks in the midst of the government shutdown debacle was the unveiling by Secretary Jim Mattis of a new National Defense Strategy. At first blush, it’s a bold declaration of the Trump administration’s priorities. In reality, there’s little new here—least of all…

Who Suffers the Most from Government Shutdowns?

The National Interest January 23, 2018 he federal government shutdown of 2018—or, at least, the first one—ended with only one workday missed. To the extent ordinary citizens noticed at all, they likely think it was no big deal. This is especially true with regards to the impact on the U.S. military, who they’ve been steadily…

How Trump’s National Security Strategy Breaks with the Past

The National Interest December 19, 2017 President Trump unveiled a new National Security Strategy on Monday. Previews of the document, based on leaked drafts and backchannel interviews, had given the impression that it would be a bland continuity of previous administrations’ strategies, with a few sops to Trumpism thrown in to satisfy the boss. A careful reading, however, shows…

Donald Trump and the Decline of the Ideas Industry

RealClearWorld June 7, 2017 The 2016 U.S. presidential campaign pitted a wonk with decades of experience and fastidious command of public policy against a reality television star who not only eschewed nuance but seemed to take great pride in not reading or talking to experts. Whereas Hillary Clinton offered substantive arguments, Donald Trump countered with…

Mattis Is Mostly Right on NATO

RealClearDefense March 2, 2007 In his first speech to NATO defense ministers as the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis suggested that, if Allies do not start contributing more by the end of the year, the United States might “moderate its commitment.” While the timing is less than ideal, given growing concerns about the Trump administration posture…

Greater Deference to Generals Has Undermined Civilian Control of the Military

New York Times | December 6, 2016 | Recently separated officers are likely to reinforce the advice given the president by the Joint Chiefs rather than offer a political perspective.

Normalizing Hysteria

The National Interest November 15, 2016 Critics of Donald Trump, of which I have long been one, have spent the past sixteen months arguing that he is manifestly unprepared by experience and unsuited by temperament to be President of the United States. The Republican national security establishment, in particular, has been at the forefront of…

Clinton-Cartwright Comparisons Don’t Hold Up

James Joyner and Butch Bracknell War on The Rocks October 27, 2016 In the third and, thankfully, final presidential debate of the 2016 cycle, Republican nominee Donald Trump doubled down on his contention that his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, “should never have been allowed to run for the presidency based on what she did with e-mails and…

Generals and Political Interventions in American History

War on The Rocks August 4, 2016 In a curt letter to The Washington Post, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey, reacting to speeches by two recently retired generals — Michael Flynn and John Allen — before the Republican and Democratic conventions, declared that, “The military is not a political prize.” Dempsey explained: The American people…

EU Leaders Must Keep Calm and Carry On

RealClearWorld July 7, 2016 Now that we’ve had time to let the dust settle after the Brexit vote, it’s becoming clear that the early panic was an overreaction. The British public is already showing seller’s remorse and leaders who supported the Leave option are seeing their fortunes fall. There’s no reason that the United Kingdom…