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How the Afghan Conflict Will Be Decided

Michael Hirsh | May 16, 2013

A horrific week for U.S. casualties reaffirms President Obama’s rush to rely on the Afghan army. But can they handle it?

NATO’s Plan for Afghanistan Post-2014: A ‘Stable Instability’

Michael Hirsh | May 13, 2013

U.S., allies are talking about commitments through 2018 and beyond, says top commander.

Mitt Romney Was Right: Russia Is Our Biggest Geopolitical Foe

Michael Hirsh | May 7, 2013

Obama meets with South Korea’s president, but it’s Kerry’s sit-down with Putin that matters.

Iraq and Libya Haunt Obama's Syria Policy

Michael Hirsh | May 2, 2013

Weighed down by memories of Iraq and Libya, the president stands his ground.

Doing Nothing in Syria Is Riskier Than Getting Involved

James Kitfield | April 26, 2013

One allied ambassador: "If you continue to hesitate, the costs will be much higher when you finally act."

How Will Texas Explosion Impact Chemical Security Laws?

Douglas P. Guarino | April 23, 2013

Industry officials 'appalled' by those who say the incident suggests a need for tougher chemical security laws.

13% of Americans Believe President Obama Is the Antichrist

Matt Berman | April 2, 2013

New polling shows just how many conspiracy theorists lurk among us—and what they believe.

A Decade of War: What the U.S. Military Learned

James Kitfield | March 22, 2013

The 10-year anniversary of the Iraq war has rightfully prompted extended soul-searching about a conflict that cost the nation dearly in blood, treasure, and international prestige.

When the Whole World Has Drones

Kristin Roberts | March 21, 2013

The precedents the U.S. has set for robotic warfare may have fearsome consequences as other countries catch up.

My Iraq War

James Kitfield | March 21, 2013

Fear, death, and even elegy—one witness’s recollections from a decade of war.

Inside the Cover: When the Whole World Has Drones

National Journal Staff | March 21, 2013

In this week's National Journal cover story, Kristin Roberts discusses the dangerous global precedent the United States is setting with its drone policy. In this video, go inside the story with the author herself.

The Legacy of the Iraq War? Anti-War Democrats and Rand Paul

Michael Hirsh | March 18, 2013

The most enduring impact of the invasion is a neo-isolationism that will be with us for a long time.

VIDEO: Inside This Week's Cover Story

National Journal Staff | March 15, 2013

In this week's National Journal cover story, Michael Hirsh discusses how the United States could contain Islamism in the Middle East. In this video, go inside the story with the author himself.

How Obama Fumbled Afghanistan

Michael Hirsh | March 5, 2013

How Obama stymied his own special envoy, Richard Holbrooke, and fumbled the administration's Afghanistan policy.

The Rehabilitation of Chuck Hagel

Michael Hirsh | February 28, 2013

Looking beyond the sequester, the new Pentagon chief plans a fast trip, and a focus on veterans.

Don't Laugh at Italy's Elections

Matthew Cooper | February 26, 2013

Italy is dealing with austerity – with less whining than we are.

Congress and Obama Assign Blame as Sequester Deadline Approaches

Billy House | February 24, 2013

Just four days remain until Friday’s start date for federal spending cuts that were supposed to be too painful to ever let happen, but lawmakers return to Washington on Monday with little hope for an eleventh-hour deal to avert or reshape them—or any let-up in the fighting over who is to blame.

Fewer Afghan Civilians Are Being Killed, But Drones Are on the Rise

Matt Vasilogambros | February 19, 2013

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released an annual report on the protection of civilians on Tuesday showing that while the number of civilian deaths in the conflict has decreased in the last year, there has been an increase in the number of deaths from drone strikes — a heated issue that has received greater attention in recent weeks, following CIA director nominee John Brennan's confirmation hearing.

Photos from State of the Union

National Journal Staff | February 12, 2013

Here's Who You Think Should Sit With the First Lady for Obama's Speech

Matt Vasilogambros | February 11, 2013

We asked National Journal readers who they thought would get the coveted invite to the State of the Union address this year. Here are their suggestions.

Sobering Lessons for the Afghan Pullout in Paris Peace Accord Anniversary

James Kitfield and Sara Sorcher | January 25, 2013

Even as the Obama administration and the Afghan government are locked in intense negotiations over the terms of the withdrawal of U.S. troops after a decade of war, the United States is approaching a sobering milestone. January 27 will mark the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords ending America’s long war in Vietnam. By August of that year U.S. combat troops had pulled out of the country, though Washington continued to backstop South Vietnamese forces with airpower and other support.

Chuck Hagel Goes Door to Door to Seek Senate Support

Matt Vasilogambros | January 25, 2013

Chuck Hagel, President Obama's controversial pick for Defense secretary, is going door to door in Congress to make the case for his confirmation, banking on the personal touch to secure his nomination.

The Ban on Women in Combat Will Officially End

Elspeth Reeve - The Atlantic Wire | January 23, 2013

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Wednesday that the Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat — even though women actually have been serving in war zones for years, according to several news reports. The decision comes less than two weeks after the Army began&nb...

Obama to World: Drop Dead

Michael Hirsh | January 22, 2013

In a speech devoid of foreign commitments, the president tells the world to keep away.

Insiders: Go Ahead, Slash the Defense Budget

Sara Sorcher | January 21, 2013

Defense cuts may be on the table in a new fiscal-cliff deal, as the deadline to avoid sequestration is just weeks away. National Journal's National Security Insiders say: Go for it.

7 Pressing Foreign Policy Challenges for Obama’s 2nd Term

Caren Bohan and Matt Vasilogambros | January 21, 2013

Now that President Obama's inaugural festivities are over, he will turn his attention to tackling gun control, immigration, climate change and a series of looming budget confrontations with Republicans. Obama and his aides hope that the winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will help him maintain a focus on domestic priorities.

Meet the Folks on the Short List to Replace Energy Secretary Steven Chu

Catherine Hollander and Coral Davenport | January 18, 2013

Several people close to the Obama administration have said that Energy Secretary Steven Chu plans to step down from his job. Bloomberg reported this week that his departure could be announced as early as this week. Here are the candidates on the short list to replace him:

Vast Majority of National Security Insiders Want Hagel, Brennan Confirmed

Sara Sorcher | January 14, 2013

Washington is abuzz with speculation about whether hawks’ opposition will derail the confirmation of former Sen. Chuck Hagel as Defense secretary. But 82 percent of National Journal’s National Security Insiders support it.

What Obama's Missing in Afghanistan

Michael Hirsh | January 14, 2013

More than troops, the president needs a strategy in the region--and a diplomat.

The Rocky Times of Obama and Karzai

Matt Vasilogambros | January 10, 2013

President Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are having lunch at the White House today for yet another frank discussion on America’s longest war.

Can Obama and Karzai Avoid Iraq Redux?

James Kitfield | January 10, 2013

Friday's meeting will focus on the last two outstanding issues concerning America’s longest-ever war: how fast to withdraw the remaining troops, and what, if any, residual U.S. force to leave behind.

The Neocons vs. Chuck Hagel

Michael Hirsh | January 9, 2013

The attacks on the Defense nominee reflect an old struggle—and a philosophy that’s in eclipse.

Will 'Obamacare' Fill the Gaps in Our Mental Health System?

Erin Mershon | December 28, 2012

Tragedies like the recent school shooting in Newtown, Conn., initiate conversations about access to mental health services nearly as consistently as they do discussions of gun control. And though it is not known whether the shooter, Adam Lanza, was mentally ill, public officials jumped on the opportunity to promote better and increased access to behavioral care as one effort to address the massacre.

The People, Not Washington, Will Solve America's Everyday Problems

James Oliphant and Stacy Kaper and Catherine Hollander and Adam Mazmanian and James Kitfield and Ben Terris and Fawn Johnson | December 6, 2012

Beyond the fiscal cliff, entitlement reform, and a tax overhaul, a host of other issues continue to vex Americans. They include burgeoning traffic, the shrinking pool of affordable housing, escalating gun violence, and the rising invasion of online privacy.

Veterans: U.S. Demographic Snapshot

Stephanie Czekalinski | May 14, 2012

Seven things you should know about America's war veterans.

U.S., Taliban: Karzai Last Hurdle to Peace Talks

Olga Belogolova | January 12, 2012

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is one of last remaining roadblocks to U.S. peace talks with the Taliban, which could ramp up in the coming weeks, according to reports citing U.S. officials and the Taliban.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS - The Army's Gamble

March 29, 2003

V CORPS FORWARD TACTICAL COMMAND, Central Iraq-The sound came with such suddenness and ferocity that all heads craned skyward as if in supplication: An Iraqi Scud missile was boring back through the atmosphere at terminal velocity. Just to the right of the 110-vehicle convoy, a Patriot anti-missile battery answered, with the sparkling contrails of two missiles clearly visible as they soared toward an impact point nearly six miles overhead. Along the shoulder of the road, hundreds of soldiers scrambled to don chemical protection suits as a multiwheeled Fox detection vehicle ran down the column "sniffing" for lethal chemical agents. Within minutes, the Patriot battery reported a successful intercept and confirmed that the Scud would have hit the ground less than a third of a mile in front of the convoy.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS - Reinventing Iraq

March 22, 2003

A country called Iraq has existed only since 1919. But some cities in that land were already 16 centuries old when the nearby Egyptians built their pyramids. Bureaucrats in Mesopotamia, as the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers was known, began keeping written records in 3400 B.C. And despite three decades of political repression, economic mismanagement, and military disaster under Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, Iraq today-unlike Afghanistan in 2001, Yugoslavia in 1995, and Germany in 1945-is not a "failed state." (See "Occupational Hazards," this issue.) From food-distribution systems to local police forces, essential institutions and infrastructures have survived Saddam, albeit barely, and they will survive a war that successfully ousts him. So the good news is that Iraq will not have to start over from scratch. Unfortunately, the bad news is also that Iraq will not be able to start over from scratch.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS - Collateral Damage

March 15, 2003

The first American war against Iraq, fought a dozen years ago, produced an overwhelming, if transitory, U.S. victory, while also popularizing several phrases that slipped almost lightheartedly into the world's lexicon. But if the U.S. military's new "smart bombs" helped make a mockery of Saddam Hussein's bluster about winning "the mother of all battles," there was nothing funny about "collateral damage," the Pentagon's time-honored euphemism for the killing and wounding of everyday Iraqi people with cruise missiles and airpower.

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