Time to Retire the Nuclear Football

by Diana Ohlbaum Speculation about whether Donald Trump can be trusted with his finger on the nuclear “button”, should he be elected president, is a reminder that the world’s survival rests on a hair trigger. Contrary to popular belief, there… Continue Reading

The Itch to Escalate the Syrian Civil War

by Paul R. Pillar The complicated, multidimensional nature of the Syrian civil war continues to discourage clear thinking in debate about U.S. policy toward Syria. The involvement in the conflict of multiple protagonists who are each anathema to the American… Continue Reading

Platform and Politics: The Change We Made

by James J. Zogby The quadrennial process of party platform writing is more of a political exercise than a policy deliberation. When party leaders sit down to debate what will or will not go into their platform, their eyes are… Continue Reading

The Myth of Trump’s Alternative Worldview

by John Feffer Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has staked out a foreign policy position quite distinct from his opponent, Hillary Clinton. It is not, however, “isolationist” (contra Jeb Bush and many others) or “less aggressively militaristic” (economist Mark Weisbrot in… Continue Reading

Leaker, Speaker, Soldier, Spy

By Nick Turse I ran into David Petraeus the other night. Or rather, I ran after him. It’s been more than a year since I first tried to connect with the retired four-star general and ex-CIA director — and no… Continue Reading