Trump for the Defense

by William Hartung As with so much of what Donald Trump has said in recent months, his positions on Pentagon spending are, to be polite, a bundle of contradictions.  Early signs suggest, however, that those contradictions are likely to resolve… Continue Reading

Deputy NSC Advisor Pick McFarland: Treat Middle Easterners Like Kids

by Derek Davison On Friday, Donald Trump’s transition team announced that Fox News national security analyst Kathleen Troia McFarland will serve as his Deputy National Security Advisor, working under National Security Advisor–designate Michael Flynn. McFarland previously served on Gerald Ford’s… Continue Reading

Mattis on Iran: Belligerent, but Don’t Tear Up Nuclear Deal

by Jim Lobe Marine Gen. James “Mad Dog” Mattis is the odds-on favorite for Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of defense. It’s worth exploring his views on Iran particularly in light of the ultra-hawkish positions of both National Security Adviser-designate… Continue Reading

What Can Europe Teach Us about Trump?

by John Feffer Donald Trump might seem like a uniquely American phenomenon. The shape-shifting billionaire huckster reinvented himself first as a TV personality and then as a maverick populist politician. He rode to power on patriotic slogans – Make America… Continue Reading

Turkey’s Relations with Syria

by Robert Olson Turkey’s relations with Syria are different from its relations with Iraq. The main difference is that Ankara has no close partners in Syria as it does in the form of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) which works… Continue Reading