David Ignatius's Blog, page 41

Gen. Milley’s stress test

Milley’s efforts took him into dangerous constitutional terrain that no soldier should have to patrol, edging close to violating the sacrosanct principle ­of civilian control of the military.

A new U.S. alliance responding to the Chinese threat reignites ages-old tensions with France

The centerpiece of the “AUKUS” agreement was a plan to jointly develop nuclear submarines for Australia. That scuttled a 2016 French deal to build less-advanced conventional subs, and Paris was furious.

A new U.S. alliance responds to the Chinese threat — and U.S. military complacency

After the pell-mell flight from Kabul, Biden announces a more orderly effort to deal with an assertive China.

The UAE’s Machiavellian journey from ‘Little Sparta’ to ‘Little Singapore’

The United Arab Emirates was once combative. Now it's making friends with former adversaries like Turkey and Israel — evidence of a global shift to pragmatism in foreign policy.

On the anniversary of 9/11, radical pessimism is a mistake

The United States learned useful lessons in Afghanistan, but also some bitter truths.

Biden badly needs a new beginning

A rough month has upped the stakes for congressional maneuvering on infrastructure and social spending.

Biden needs to turn the page from a painful August

A rough month has upped the stakes for congressional maneuvering on infrastructure and social spending.

The best way for the U.S. to deal with the Taliban? Carefully and mostly invisibly.

The U.S can't treat the Taliban as a permanent enemy. But the Taliban needs to prove it deserves U.S. trust and support.

Don’t compound the Afghanistan mistake by fighting the last war

For a change, the Taliban has the urgently ticking watches in Afghanistan; the United States has the time to get it right.

At a badly shaken White House, ‘sadness and horror’

The administration had warning an attack was coming — and still couldn't stop prevent the carnage.