Syria

Home / Policy Topics Syria Getting out and staying out of Syria The Assad regime is over after years of brutal civil war. Rebels now control Damascus with many questions about what comes next. Read Syria analysis from Defense Priorities experts and connect for more...

Middle East

Home / Policy Topics Middle East Middle East Reducing U.S. exposure to the region’s politics and violence U.S. interests in the Middle East are limited and diminishing, and our political and military engagement in the region should be commensurate with its strategic...

Ukraine

Home / Policy Topics Ukraine Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now a grinding war of attrition concentrated on the Donbas. Reports detail the day-to-day fighting, destruction, and other developments, but the following Defense Priorities analysis aims to improve...
Israel-Hamas

Israel-Hamas

Home / Policy Topics Israel-Hamas Avoiding a regional war Following the heinous October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas, Israel responded with a devastating assault on Gaza. As that conflict rages, the risks of spillover into a broader regional war remain dangerously...

China

Home / Policy Topics China Responsibly competing with our greatest strategic rival Tensions between the U.S. and China have grown in recent years over flashpoints, like Taiwan and the South China Sea. The relationship between the world’s two most powerful states is...

North Korea

Home / Policy Topics North Korea Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have grown in recent years. Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have become increasingly hostile, while North Korea continues to develop its nuclear capabilities and deepens its security ties to China...

NATO

Home / Policy Topics NATO A Cold War military alliance, undergirded by U.S. nuclear weapons and conventional military power 75 years after its founding and more than three decades since the Soviet Union collapsed, the NATO alliance now includes 32 members and shares a...

Grand strategy

Home / Policy Topics Grand Strategy Grand strategy is the centerpiece of a nation’s foreign policy, setting national priorities to match available means with vital security goals. The United States’ post-Cold War grand strategy has proven to be a costly failure that...

Burden sharing

Home / Policy Topics Burden Shifting As the wars in Ukraine and Gaza rage and as China’s power continues to grow, new questions have been raised about the dependence of allies on the United States. A growing chorus of voices are urging the United States to turn over...

Ukraine-Russia

Home / Policy Topics Ukraine-Russia Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has become a grinding war of attrition resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties. As the war continues and losses mount, Russia’s material advantages make a Ukrainian military victory less likely,...