October marks the 50th anniversary of the Sino-Indian War, when Chinese troops overwhelmed unsuspecting Indian forces, seizing the Aksai China plateau in Kashmir. The border between the two Asian giants remains disputed and still …
Military
Can the U.S. Leave Behind “Afghan-Sustainable” Military Bases?
As one outpost is prepared for a handover, a report raises the risks attendant upon the departure of American forces
Is the U.S. Admitting Defeat in Afghanistan?
The law of diminishing returns — and rising costs — appears likely to bring Western troops home from Afghanistan even as the Taliban insurgency rages
Dialogue with a Coup Leader: Has Guinea-Bissau Become a Narco-State?
Antonio Indjai, the general who lords it over the small West African nation, is unrepentant and uncompromising about overthrowing the previous government. And he dislikes the U.N. too
Apocalyptic Talk Aside, Israel Has Dialed Down Its Threat to Bomb Iran — for Now
Netanyahu says at present rates of enrichment, Iran’s nuclear program will cross Israel’s red line for military action next spring or summer
Turkey’s Massive Military Trial Opens Old Wounds and New Anxieties
Claims of procedural and evidentiary anomalies in a huge trial of coup plotters raise criticism of the Erdogan administration. Is the Prime Minister trying too hard to bury the military — and Turkish secularism?
Will Iran’s Third-World Jamboree Hasten an Israeli Attack? Probably Not
Why the uproar among some in the U.S. and Israel over Iran’s hosting of the Non-Aligned Movement summit is sound and fury, signifying little
Is Israel Angling for a Commitment from Obama on Iran?
Israeli media reports suggest the country is using renewed threats of action against Iran to limit Obama’s room to maneuver.
5 Things the Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘Countercoup’ Tells Us About Egypt
President Mohamed Morsy’s recent actions in Egypt is telling of the country’s state of affairs — and the continuing struggle among its power players
Why Do Israeli Media Keep Predicting War with Iran?
A frenetic pounding of the war drums appears designed to create the impression that Israel will attack Iran before the U.S. presidential election. Whether that’s Netanyahu’s real intent remains a mystery
Egypt’s Morsy Walks a Political Minefield in Sinai Crisis
While the military mounts a largely symbolic show of force, the elected President starts a slow and deliberate campaign to assert executive authority
As the Sinai Goes, so Too the Golan Heights?
The new status quo in the Middle East is one of porous borders, growing radicalization and the fragmentation of once stable nation-states
Afghanistan Sacks Its Security Chiefs: How Will That Affect U.S. Forces?
The parliamentary denoucement of the ministers of defense and the interior may be a sign of Afghan democracy at work but it makes the security situation much more volatile for U.S. forces preparing to withdraw