WARSAW—The new strategic defense guidance from the Obama administration aims to refocus the U.S. defense posture on the increasingly competitive security environment emerging in the Pacific. It also (despite the Pentagon’s protestations to the contrary) appears to put an end to the era of large-scale counterinsurgency and stability operations. Last but not least, it implies [...]

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This past week, the Obama Administration announced its intention to nominate Rick Barton as the nation’s first ever Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations.  The announcement marks Washington’s latest run at creating a serious civilian “surge capacity” for managing instability and conflict in fragile states. Rick Barton, if the Senate chooses to [...]

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WASHINGTON—In a presidential race focused firmly on domestic issues, this week’s Republican presidential debate on foreign policy and national security provides a rare and valuable opportunity for Americans and the rest of the world to hear the candidates revisit the perennial question of “What keeps you up at night?” — and its slightly more frightening [...]

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ROME — According to the newly-released Transatlantic Trends survey, Italy is the European country with the strongest perception of a deterioration of the transatlantic relationship over the last year.  Nevertheless, Italians still largely approve (79%) of U.S. President Barack Obama’s handling of international affairs and believe in greater numbers than in past years that NATO [...]

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WASHINGTON—Despite economic worries and domestic political preoccupations, perceptions in the United States and Europe of each other appear to be in better shape now than they were during the presidency of George W. Bush. Americans and Europeans have generally favorable opinions of one another and majorities on both continents believe they share enough common values [...]

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By Joseph Wood WASHINGTON — Soon-to-be-former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will leave the Pentagon with tremendous credibility.  He led the surge and drawdown in Iraq and the surge in Afghanistan, and he made difficult choices to truncate or cancel expensive weapons programs.  He is a strong advocate for American military strength and presence, [...]

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by Andrew A. Michta WARSAW — U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ speech last Friday, in which he warned that NATO is heading for irrelevance unless Europe reinvigorates its defense spending, ought to generate more than the usual finger-pointing and exasperation across the Atlantic.  Though driven by the immediate, and justifiable, concern over Europe’s continued [...]

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Major decisions on the endgame in Afghanistan are coming soon in Washington. Public support for the war has been waning as Americans struggle with a weak economic recovery, explains Glenn Nye.

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The latest twist in U.S.-Pakistani relations has come to reveal a deepening rift that is proving increasingly difficult to mend. Last weekend’s killing of Osama bin Laden in the heartland of Pakistan has caused tensions to plummet, but relations have clearly been deteriorating for some time. The current low was initiated by CIA agent Raymond [...]

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WASHINGTON – Al Qaeda’s attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, precipitated an unprecedented level of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. With Afghanistan beset by a resurgent Taliban, and Pakistan increasingly unstable, the United States subsequently doubled down in this troubled region even as the Asia-Pacific became the locus of global [...]

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