Foreign Policy Essay
Intelligence, Politicization, and the Russia Probe
Joshua Rovner Sun, Sep 17, 2017, 10:00 AM
Is CIA Director Mike Pompeo helping President Trump bury the Russia investigation?
Joshua Rovner is Associate Professor in the School of International Service at American University. He is the author of Fixing the Facts: National Security and the Politics of Intelligence (Cornell University Press, 2011).
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Foreign Policy Essay
Donald Trump and the Future of Intelligence
Joshua Rovner Sun, Jan 8, 2017, 10:00 AM
The Trump administration will enter office with a historically bad relationship with the intelligence community. How the community responds will have repercussions for years to come.
Foreign Policy Essay
Why Victory in Mosul Won’t Solve America’s Iraq Conundrum
Joshua Rovner, Caitlin Talmadge Sun, Apr 10, 2016, 10:08 AM
Joshua Rovner and Caitlin Talmadge assess the impending battle to force the Islamic State out of Mosul -- and what the battle's aftermath could mean for the future of the Iraqi state.
Foreign Policy Essay
The Foreign Policy Essay: The Danger of Politicized Intelligence after a Nuclear Deal
Joshua Rovner Sun, May 10, 2015, 10:00 AM
Editor’s Note: Part of the job of intelligence officials is to give bad news to policymakers. But should officials at times soften their assessments or otherwise pick their battles in order to maintain the access to policymakers that is vital for intelligence to be relevant? Joshua Rovner of Southern Methodist University explores the Iran nuclear deal in this context, warning of the temptation of what he calls the “soft politicization” of intelligence and the risks for both intelligence and policymakers of doing so.
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Foreign Policy Essay
The Foreign Policy Essay: Hidden Victories
Joshua Rovner Sun, Feb 8, 2015, 10:00 AM
Editor’s Note: U.S. foreign policy is a disaster. This lament is heard about every administration, but rarely is it true. Joshua Rovner, a professor at Southern Methodist University, points out that the judgment of history is often kinder than the critics of the day. Failures seem to abound, but in reality most presidents have numerous foreign policy successes that have kept America in a strong position. The greater danger, he writes, is failing to recognize what has worked in the first place.
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Foreign Policy Essay
The Foreign Policy Essay: The Strategic Value of Threat Deflation
Joshua Rovner Sun, Oct 5, 2014, 10:00 AM
Editor’s Note: As the United States goes to war in Iraq and Syria, President Obama and senior administration officials have repeatedly stressed the threat the Islamic State poses and emphasized the organization’s brutality: views echoed by many Republicans and by pundits of all persuasions. Joshua Rovner, an associate professor at Southern Methodist University, calls instead for playing down the threat, warning that exaggerating the Islamic State’s strength has pernicious policy and intelligence consequences and may even make the enemy stronger.