Author: Matt Reisener

  • COVID-19: Finding a Way Forward

    The Covid-19 crisis remains the most acute issue confronting the Biden administration. After an initial flush of enthusiasm that the virus had been defeated, President Biden has grappled uneasily with the delta variant and is now issuing what amounts to a vaccine mandate. How should America proceed? Will a mandate work? Should booster shots be

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  • Twenty Years After: How Terrorism and the World Have Changed Since 9/11

    The list of things that have changed after terrorists toppled the twin towers twenty years ago is long.  Al Qaeda was an organization familiar only to a handful of anti-terrorism experts in the bowels of the CIA.  Russia’s little-known president, Vladimir Putin, was laboring to convince Washington that it should partner with Russia against international

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  • American Credibility and Power in the World with Robert C. O’Brien

    The collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan and the chaos in Kabul ahead of Tuesday’s evacuation deadline have called into question U.S. credibility to a degree unseen since the crises of 1970s. Many analysts believe the consequences will affect American interests globally and raise questions about the management of foreign policy in Washington.  On

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  • Assessing the Media’s Role in US National Security

    Polling indicates that public trust in media accuracy and fairness is plummeting.  This has important implications for a wide range of public policy matters, including our national security.   Effective national security policy requires a sound understanding of relevant facts, strict adherence to the rules and regulations that circumscribe government actions, and a pragmatic balance between

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  • After the Debacle: How Can the United States Best Protect its Interests in Afghanistan?

    The U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan is all but complete.  It has sparked a vigorous debate over the merits of the war, the wisdom of the decision to withdraw, and the manner in which the withdrawal was executed.  As we wrestle over what has happened, however, we should not lose sight of the questions still

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