In this feature, Brookings senior fellow and terrorism expert Daniel Byman and deputy foreign policy editor Dana Stuster curate a weekly essay on foreign and military affairs of interest to national security legal practitioners and scholars. Although not specifically dealing with legal matters, the feature offers context and perspective to many of the debates that go on at the site regularly. Lawfare has always conceived of national security law broadly, because to practice it well, one needs to draw on a diversity of expertise in technical fields like communications technologies, robotics and economics. With The Foreign Policy Essay, Dan and Dana provide us with a window into the worlds of strategy, military operations, geopolitics, and whatever else grabs their interest on any given week.
Latest in Foreign Policy Essay
The Russian military's prioritization of dramatic public displays over exercises that simulate combat have left it ill-prepared for the war in Ukraine. But U.S. security force assistance programs often incentivize similar, superficial demonstrations.
Declining availability of abortion care will make it more difficult for women in uniform to keep their healthcare decisions private, and the military's policies may reinforce harmful stereotypes.
What does it mean when individuals and groups are included in U.N. terrorism reports but don't make the cut for sanctions?
The Russian invasion shows how the relationship between the United States and the UAE is changing—but also how it will remain the same.
The recent redeployment of U.S. troops won't change the security landscape of Somalia, but it could provide an opportunity for change.
NATO's new Strategic Concept, to be released in June, will need to clearly define the alliance's mission.
Part of terrorism's power is its ability to generate fear disproportionate to the actual threat. Research shows that learning about terrorism curbs this effect.
The United States should be exploring new approaches for attaining its counterterrorism goals.
Russia is keeping the influence it has built up in the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali and Sudan.
As the pace of innovation increases, control lists are falling behind and failing to regulate sensitive technology.