International Security

The authors recount Alexander Haig's tenure and departure as U.S. Secretary of State and analyze the implications for Rex Tillerson's departure from that position. 

"One obvious problem is that the conduct of 'international affairs' is not really a professional vocation, but rather a political one. Influential foreign-policy leaders are not chosen strictly for their expertise but also for their ideological convictions, reputations, personal connections, and political loyalty."

Two factors determine whether China makes major changes in military strategy: shifts in the international conduct of warfare and unity of the Chinese Communist Party leadership.

International relations scholars increasingly rely on primary documents, including those found during archival research. How can they do so most effectively?

International Security Program Postdoctoral Fellow Jeffrey G. Karam reviewed America’s Dream Palace: Middle East Expertise and the Rise of the National Security State by Osamah F. Khalil.

Two notable scholars demonstrate how history can explain and impact IR theory.

Nicholas Miller on why states with nuclear energy programs are not more likely to pursue nuclear weapons.

The authors offer a detailed analysis of the factors that led to Alexander Haig's resignation as U.S. Secretary of State in 1982 in order to enrich scholars' and policymakers' understanding of the political and strategic consequences of a chief diplomat being maligned and marginalized.

The best way to address the various challenges associated with Iranian behavior—meaning the one most likely to succeed and to bolster long-term U.S. security interests—is to preserve and build on the nuclear deal. Doing so would enable Iran to reconsider the lessons of the Iran-Iraq War, which taught it that it cannot trust the international organizations and world powers that seek to isolate it and undermine its security.