Military

Migrants from Asia and Africa bundled in scarves and blankets walk in the snow past what remains of the tents of the "Lipa" camp, two weeks after it burnt down on January 8, 2021 near the North-Western Bosnian town of Bihac.

Biden’s Decision to Pull Troops From Afghanistan Risks a Major Refugee Crisis

The US needs a global plan in the event brutal Taliban rule returns -- or even seems likely. An exodus risks upturning Iran, Turkey, and the EU.

Apr. 26, 2021 Kemal Kirişci and Fulya Memisoglu

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Hizyme Potter, administers a COVID-19 vaccine to Capt. Stewart Bateshansky, commodore of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 3, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) in the Arabian Gulf, March 19, 2021. Both wear face masks and Hospital Corpsman Potter wears gloves and a face shield.

Should the COVID-19 Vaccine Be Required for the Military?

A mandatory vaccination program would likely be upheld in military and federal courts if President Biden determines that it is in the interests of national security.

Apr. 12, 2021 Mark Nevitt

Iraqi fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi units stand guard during a campaign gathering for the Fateh Alliance, a coalition of Iranian-supported militia groups, in Baghdad on May 7, 2018, ahead of Iraq's parliamentary elections to be held on May 12. Some hold weapons, and a few sit on the ground.

Team of Legal Gladiators? Iraqi Militias’ Tortured Relationship with Law

The country's Iran-backed militias are not law-abiding, but they know Iraqis care about rule of law and have adopted the law as a battlespace.

Apr. 12, 2021 Crispin Smith, Hamdi Malik and 1 more

A woman cooks on the ground in the community of Ntocota, Metuge District in Pemba, Cabo Delgado Province on February 22, 2021, where thousands of displaced residents have been relocated due to recent attacks by armed insurgents in northern Mozambique.

The US Military Should Stay Out of Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado; Send Diplomats Who Know the Terrain

The conflict's deep roots illustrate a case where the US should begin to reject two decades of conflict escalation that began with the Global War on Terror.

Apr. 9, 2021 Steven Leach

A person on a motorbikes drives next to the construction site of a new road built by the Chinese company China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) in Antananarivo, on October 20, 2018.

Overlooking the Policy Connections: Fragility, Democracy, and Geopolitical Competition

To reinforce global democracy and compete with rivals, the US must prevent conflict and stabilize fragile states. The issues are intertwined.

Apr. 6, 2021 Frances Z. Brown

Troops stand in lines with their hands behind their backs. U.S. Special Operations Forces and Mozambican leaders stand in front of the troops giving instructions as part of a two-month Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) training program.

Getting US-Africa Relations Back on Track With a Focus on Human Rights

The Biden administration needs to ensure that solutions it offers for the continent's challenges are Africa-led, inclusive, multilateral, and multifaceted.

Apr. 2, 2021 Andrea Prasow and Carine Kaneza Nantulya

NZDF troops remove the New Zealand flag from a base in Afghanistan.

Opportunity Missed: New Zealand Defense Force’s Order on Civilian Harm in Wartime

On Feb. 11, 2021, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) announced new rules on responding to civilian harm. Defence Force Order 35 (DFO 35) introduces NZDF-wide procedures for responding…

Mar. 31, 2021 Thomas Gregory and Larry Lewis

Trump hosts Department of Defense leadership at the White House on October 7, 2019. They pose for a picture in the Oval Office.

Race to the Top Brass

Congress is disproportionately nominating White students to the United States’ competitive military academies and, thus, continuing to cultivate a disproportionately White (and…

Mar. 29, 2021 Liam Brennan and Edgar Chen

Relatives and friends hold photos of their missing loved ones at Galle Face promenade in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on August 28, 2018.

Spotlight on Sri Lanka as UN Human Rights Council Prepares Next Session

Concerns over impunity and a troubling decline in human rights will be prominent, with a long-awaited report by the UN high commissioner for human rights.

Mar. 26, 2021 Beth Van Schaack

Smoke rises from tires burning at barricades erected by protesters after military junta forces attempted to attack them on March 16, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar.

No Military Solutions: A New Approach to Preventing Atrocities

To be a credible proponent of peace, the US must shed destabilizing security ties and unneeded military capabilities, and invest in conflict prevention.

Mar. 22, 2021 Caroline Smith

Farmers in India protest against new harmful farming laws while Indian paramilitary soldiers watch them behind barricades on December 13, 2020 at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border in Ghaziabad, India.

In India, US Defense Secretary Austin Must Not Overlook Its Democratic Decline

The Indian government’s pattern of repressive actions could undermine its value as a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

Mar. 16, 2021 Allie Funk and Amy Slipowitz

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapakse and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, neither who wear face masks, are surrounded by others, many who wear face masks, as they leave the new cabinet swearing-in ceremony at the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth in the ancient hill capital of Kandy, some 116 km from Colombo on August 12, 2020.

When War Criminals Run the Government: Not Too Late for the International Community to Vet Sri Lankan Officials

Developing such a list of individuals would signal to survivors some measure of recognition of the atrocities they have suffered.

Mar. 16, 2021 Sondra Anton and Tyler Giannini