Sharpies in the Post-Truth Era

by Paul R. Pillar President Trump’s amateurish use of a felt-tip pen to alter an already outdated map from the National Hurricane Center, in an effort to sustain an earlier assertion about Hurricane Dorian threatening Alabama, bordered on self-parody. It… Continue Reading

The Russia Investigation and Cherry-Picking of Intelligence

by Paul R. Pillar The selective release of classified information from U.S. intelligence agencies has long been a favorite way for administrations to make a public case amid doubt or controversy. Raw intelligence lends a cachet of seriousness and authenticity… Continue Reading

Helsinki’s Top Lesson: No US-Russia Cold War

by Robert E. Hunter No U.S. president in living memory has been so pilloried for his foreign policy actions as has President Donald Trump since he met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. A former head of the CIA… Continue Reading

The Multiple Facets of the Russia Problem

by Paul R. Pillar Two different issues—Russian interference in the U.S. election of 2016 and overall U.S. policy toward Russia—too often have been conflated. Donald Trump’s questioning of the interference and his submission to Russian President Vladimir Putin have tainted… Continue Reading