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National Security and Terrorism

North Korea
commentary
Why U.S. Negotiators Face a Tough Task After the Trump-Kim DMZ Meeting
Naoko Aoki @naokoaoki
Jul 15, 2019
The National Interest
Denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea may be under time constraints tied to America's next presidential election. This further complicates the task facing U.S. negotiators, who seek to reach a deal that endures beyond 2020.
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North Korea
commentary
How Trump Reset U.S.–North Korea Relations
Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett
Jul 2, 2019
The Hill
The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the DMZ may lead to follow-on talks. But the success of future negotiations depends on Kim actually taking action to denuclearize.
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Military Strategy
commentary
The Flawed Logic of Proportionality
Raphael S. Cohen
Jul 1, 2019
The Hill
President Trump halted a retaliatory strike against Iran on the basis that it would have claimed many Iranian lives and was not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. There are many good reasons to avoid attacking Iran, but if Washington must resort to force in the future, it should avoid the flawed logic of proportionality.
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Warfare and Military Operations
commentary
Changing the Way America Goes to War
Michael J. Mazarr
Jun 25, 2019
Fox News Channel
America's vast power, and the weakness of most of its enemies, has allowed it to get away with a striking absence of deliberative judgment when deciding on war, as the Iraq case makes clear. But that free pass is coming to an end. It's time for the United States to rethink the way it decides on wars of choice.
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
Here's What an AI Code of Conduct for the Pentagon Might Look Like
Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc
Jun 24, 2019
C4ISRNET
Advocates want a code of conduct for how artificial intelligence will be used and oversight to ensure it is being followed. DoD could identify areas where it might use AI in the foreseeable future and set rules and guidelines for business uses, non-lethal military uses, and lethal uses.
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Cyber Warfare
commentary
Fighting and Winning the Undeclared Cyber War
Isaac R. Porche III @IsaacPorche
Jun 24, 2019
Inside Sources
Russia has executed deliberate intrusions into U.S. critical infrastructure since at least 2011. These systems have included government entities, commercial facilities, water resource plants, and aviation institutions. What actions or policies can the U.S. execute to improve security?
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Iran
commentary
A Post-2020 U.S. Return to the Iran Nuclear Deal?
Ariane M. Tabatabai @ArianeTabatabai, Elisa Catalano Ewers
Jun 20, 2019
Foreign Policy
Now that the United States is out of the Iran nuclear deal, signing back on will not be as simple or as practical as some may hope. Too much has happened since it was first inked in 2015. With the political landscape in Tehran and Washington still taking shape, those who want to return to some kind of deal should start planning.
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North Korea
commentary
One Year After Singapore: The North Korea Problem Is Bigger Than Nukes
Soo W. Kim
Jun 17, 2019
The Hill
After two summits between the United States and North Korea, and little to show in the way of deliverables on dismantlement, hopes that a third summit may yield a denuclearization deal seem a bit unrealistic. Essentially, there has been no indication of intent on Kim's part to denuclearize. But the North Korea problem is much greater than nukes.
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Iran
commentary
The Costs of Confrontation with Iran Are Mounting
Dalia Dassa Kaye
Jun 17, 2019
The Hill
Even if the United States and Iran avoid a direct military clash, recent escalation and the U.S. maximum pressure campaign are exacting long-term costs for U.S. interests and regional stability in ways that may be difficult if not impossible to reverse.
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North Korea
commentary
Downplaying North Korea's Missile Tests Carries Political and Strategic Risks
Naoko Aoki @naokoaoki
Jun 5, 2019
East Asia Forum
North Korea test-fired short-range ballistic missiles for the first time in 18 months. President Trump is downplaying the tests, refusing to call them a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. But if North Korea starts testing longer-range missiles, it could become harder for Washington to return to talks, risking the end of diplomacy with Pyongyang altogether.
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Cybersecurity
commentary
Japan Prepares for Olympic-Level Cybersecurity
Nathan Ryan
Jun 3, 2019
The Cipher Brief
The world's attention will be fixed on Japan as it hosts the Rugby World Cup in September and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Japan's cyber defenses will need to be strong enough to keep attackers out and resilient enough to restore systems should things go wrong.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
This Is Not a Great-Power Competition
Michael J. Mazarr
May 29, 2019
Foreign Affairs
The emerging conventional wisdom among foreign policy analysts in Washington is that a new era of great-power competition is upon us. But does that phrase really capture today's reality?
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Iran
commentary
Iran's Network of Fighters in the Middle East Aren't Always Loyal to Iran
Becca Wasser @Becca_Wasser, Ariane M. Tabatabai @ArianeTabatabai
May 21, 2019
The Washington Post Monkey Cage Blog
Iran's nonstate partners are emerging as central players in the escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, and may be a driver of further escalation. But how involved is Iran with these proxy groups?
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China
commentary
Vietnam Is the Chinese Military's Preferred Warm-Up Fight
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
May 15, 2019
The Diplomat
China's last major war experience gave it virtually zero lessons to apply to future armed conflict. At some point the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will need to test its new capabilities and the training it has honed over time. There are at least three reasons why Vietnam is likely in the PLA's crosshairs.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
We're Just Beginning to Grasp the Toll of the Islamic State's Archaeological Looting in Syria
Fiona Greenland, Oya Topçuoğlu, Tasha Vorderstrasse, James V. Marrone
May 15, 2019
The Conversation
During the Islamic State's rise, looted artifacts were said to be a significant source of income for the group. But no one had identified the value, using empirical data and systematic calculations, of the artifacts that were known to exist in Syria's archaeological sites. Until now.
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China
commentary
Getting to Know the Competition
Cortez A. Cooper III
May 13, 2019
RealClearDefense
Americans are facing a new reality in global great power relations that will define the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy for the foreseeable future. Understanding China's threat perceptions, while remaining clear-eyed regarding differences in objectives, is essential to developing strategies to deter conflict.
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