History

Speech by Numbers

A quantitative look at the last 12 State of the Union addresses.

BY TY MCCORMICK | FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Barack Obama's Lincoln Moment

What the commander of America's first modern war tells us about our first post-modern war.

BY JOHN ARQUILLA | FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Obama's Legal Netherworld

The president isn't claiming too much power to kill Americans who join al Qaeda -- but too little.

BY JOHN YOO, ROBERT DELAHUNTY | FEBRUARY 8, 2013

Friends with Benefits

No, Mr. President, it's not OK if our allies get nuclear weapons.

BY JEFFREY LEWIS | FEBRUARY 7, 2013

What Richard III Can Teach Us Today

The world is grown so bad that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch. Can Shakespeare’s fallen tyrant help us set it to rights?

BY JOHN WATKINS | FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Martyrs of the Revolution

If history is any guide, today’s assassination in Tunisia could set off a dangerous revolutionary dynamic.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Vive L'Empereur!

Five wargames in which the French fight.

BY MICHAEL PECK | FEBRUARY 1, 2013

Tehranimal Farm

How George Orwell explains Iran.

BY ROLAND ELLIOTT BROWN | FEBRUARY 1, 2013

France on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Think Americans hate their politicians? The moody French are disgusted -- and looking for a new de Gaulle.

BY ROBERT ZARETSKY | FEBRUARY 1, 2013

Once Upon a Time in Seoul

Remarkable images of South Korea, before Samsung and PSY.

BY ALICIA P.Q. WITTMEYER | FEBRUARY 1, 2013

The First Lab Results Are In

Democracy Lab is celebrating its first anniversary. Here are some of the things we've learned over the past year -- and where we're headed in year two.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JANUARY 31, 2013

Why Combat Matters

Are you kidding me? Of course it's important that Hagel fought in Vietnam.

BY LAWRENCE J. KORB | JANUARY 30, 2013

Saying UnSorry

Will Japan's new prime minister really take back his country's apology for World War II?

BY ROBERT WHITING | JANUARY 30, 2013

The Republic of Port Said

An insurrection along the Suez Canal represents the greatest threat yet to the Muslim Brotherhood's rule in Egypt.

BY EVAN C. HILL | JANUARY 30, 2013

A Maritime Balkans of the 21st Century?

East Asia is a tinderbox on water.

BY KEVIN RUDD | JANUARY 30, 2013

Think Again: Immigration

After Republicans' election-year drubbing, the United States has an historic opportunity to fix its broken immigration system. And the arguments against reform simply don't hold up anymore.

BY SHANNON O’NEIL | JANUARY 29, 2013

Paving the Way for Mandela's Election

Organizing the first post-apartheid election in 1994 took a lot of logistical planning and political inclusion. But it also took a lot of creativity in finding  solutions to the numerous problems that arose.

BY AMY MAWSON | JANUARY 28, 2013

America in Recline

Obama's foreign policy leans back from the world.

BY JOHN ARQUILLA | JANUARY 28, 2013

The Revolution Continues

Egypt is witnessing the slow-motion collapse of a stagnant and brutal political order.

BY CHARLES HOLMES | JANUARY 25, 2013

The Political Afterlife of Hugo Chavez

Hugo Chávez has left a profound mark on Venezuela. But how much of his legacy will remain when he’s gone?

BY DANIEL LANSBERG-RODRIGUEZ | JANUARY 23, 2013

Obama's Moment of Truth on Iran

Congratulations, Mr. President. Now it's time to make good on your promise to engage Iran.

BY REZA MARASHI | JANUARY 22, 2013

Deconstructing Afghanistan

What would Jacques do?

BY JOHN ARQUILLA | JANUARY 22, 2013

Unclenched Fists

When it comes to foreign policy, these are the six most significant inaugural addresses in U.S. history.

BY TY MCCORMICK | JANUARY 21, 2013

Beyond Al Qaeda

As Western countries rush into Africa's troubled Sahel region, are we once again forgetting history?

BY HOWARD W. FRENCH | JANUARY 18, 2013

Turing Test

Can you beat the father of artificial intelligence at Monopoly?

BY MICHAEL PECK | JANUARY 18, 2013

Crying for Argentina

From populism to liberalism and back again: Argentina's economic policy makers are still looking for a formula that works.

BY ALBERT FISHLOW | JANUARY 17, 2013

The 'Dynamite' Pentagon Interview Behind 'Zero Dark Thirty'

Michael Vickers 'delivered' for the movie.

BY NATE JONES | JANUARY 17, 2013

A More Sacred Union

How two words -- forged nearly a century ago -- help explain France's military intervention in Mali.

BY ROBERT ZARETSKY | JANUARY 17, 2013

Does the NRA Want to Turn America Into Afghanistan?

Because that's where we're headed.

BY JASON DEMPSEY | JANUARY 16, 2013

The 3:00 AM Call

Why aren't we asking Hagel about the stuff the SecDef actually does?

BY MICAH ZENKO | JANUARY 15, 2013