Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below. *** Russia In the last two weeks, Russia has retaken almost all of the territory held by Ukrainian forces in

Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate whether Israel will strike Iranian nuclear facilities and whether the United States would discourage, encourage, or participate in such an operation. They come to very different conclusions not just about the likelihood of strikes, but also the strategic logic. Chris

It turns out Europe’s favorite American import isn’t fast food or Netflix. It’s missiles, and Europe needs to start making its own. Eight weeks into the second Trump administration, European leaders are finally aware that they need to take ownership of the continent’s conventional security. Current

Will President Donald Trump override his predecessor’s decision to shut down Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq by September 2025? While it has yet to clarify its vision of future U.S. military involvement in Iraq, the Trump administration is faced with a choice: continue with the current plan,

In 2016, Greg Poling wrote “The U.S.-Philippine Alliance Is Stronger Than You Think,” where he argued that despite then-President Duterte’s embrace of China and negative posture toward the United States, the U.S.-Philippine alliance was durable. Nine years on, we asked him to reflect on his