author

 
 

Meta

Hal Brands
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 17, 2020
Yes, Ukraine matters to the U.S.
Now that impeachment is over, we can get back to why keeping Russia at bay is a key element of foreign policy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 4, 2020
Why a debate over German reunification matters now
Whether the U.S. promised that NATO would stay out of Eastern Europe is a proxy debate for a bigger issue.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2020
America is safer when Trump alone can't start a war
No matter who is president, Congress needs to re-establish its role in the use of force.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 20, 2020
Trump is putting the credibility question to test
The longstanding academic debate over reputation and foreign policy is having real-world effects.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2020
Trump tries his protection racket on South Korea
Allies must pay their fair share, but the U.S. president ignores the many benefits of stationing troops abroad.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2020
America's Iran policy spirals toward control
The U.S. is gambling that the death of Soleimani will deter further aggression.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2019
'The Afghanistan Papers' reveal a tragedy, not a crime
It's not exactly a secret that the war hasn't been going well for the U.S.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2019
Can old ideas in a new package deter China?
A fresh doctrine — 'pluralism' — aims to help allies and friends balance Beijing in the Indo-Pacific.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2019
Macron eyes European leadership
If the U.S. declines play a uniting role in the democratic world, more parochial, divisive visions will come to the fore.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2019
China's Uighur crackdown shows fear and insecurity
Xi Jinping has a brash foreign policy and a security state because he knows the real threat is from within
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2019
Europe and U.S. are refighting the Cold War
Trans-Atlantic dispute sheds light on the best approach to China and Russia today.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 12, 2019
How Russia could force a nuclear war in the Baltics
The Kremlin's 'escalate to de-escalate' nuclear strategy could easily get out of hand.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2019
Beijing is determined to reshape the globe
The Belt and Road initiative seeks to remake Eurasia in China's image.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 23, 2019
Putin took the Mideast, the U.S. can get it back
Thanks to Obama and Trump, Russia the 'regional power' has added a new region.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 15, 2019
U.S. blunder could bring order to chaos
The U.S. needs a cost-benefit analysis to decide whether the Middle East is still a priority.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2019
Trump's dangerous war on the National Security Council
An undisciplined U.S. president and weakened advisers are a recipe for disaster.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2019
Europe has to choose a side in the U.S.-China rivalry
Beijing has a plan to divide the EU and keep it on the sidelines.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2019
A Filipino battleground in China-U.S. cool war
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is rebalancing the geopolitical order in the South China Sea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2019
The risks of allowing terrorist sanctuaries
Critics who want to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan are ignoring 20 years of experience.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2019
Trump's true foreign policy: chaos
It took 70 years to build the interagency process that brought structure and discipline to U.S. leadership. It took less than three years for one man to shred it.

Longform

Dul Saroth (left) and Soeum Samrach, deminers with the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, practice using the Advanced Landmine Imaging System in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province in August.
The Japanese tech that could one day make Southeast Asia landmine-free