Michael O’Hanlon

War & Military Strategy   September/October 2019 Essay

Can America Still Protect Its Allies?

The United States must begin rethinking its deterrence policy in order to reduce the risk of inadvertent great-power war.

Michael O’Hanlon

War & Military Strategy   Mar 1, 2017 Postscript

Trump's $54 Billion Rounding Error

President Donald Trump’s proposed buildups are more than we need. And there is a glaring mismatch between planned increases in spending and available funds.

Michael O'Hanlon

Strategy & Conflict   September/October 2016 Comment

America’s Awesome Military

The U.S. military is the greatest fighting force in the world, and likely to remain so for some time—worries about a decline are overplayed. But a long-term plan for...

Michael O'Hanlon and David Petraeus

Terrorism & Counterterrorism   Sep 12, 2014 Snapshot

Beyond Air Strikes

The most important part of U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent speech about Iraq and Syria wasn’t how many air strikes the United States will conduct and when -- the...

Michael O'Hanlon

War & Military Strategy   Aug 12, 2014 Snapshot

How to Win in Iraq

After containing ISIS with air strikes, the United States will need to consider what comes next. And here, Obama must be fair to his critics and avoid suggesting that...

Michael O'Hanlon

Strategy & Conflict   July/August 2014 Essay

Keep Hope Alive

The geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States in Asia is heating up. As it does so, both Washington and Beijing need to avoid increasing tensions...

James B. Steinberg and Michael O'Hanlon

Obama Administration   May 28, 2014 Snapshot

The Obama Defense

U.S. President Obama -- increasingly accused of having a listless foreign policy that, in the eyes of some, made Russian President Vladimir Putin believe he could get...

Michael O'Hanlon

NATO   Apr 17, 2014 Snapshot

NATO After Crimea

Should Russia march into eastern Ukraine, the best way to respond would be to set up a permanent brigade of American light forces in the most vulnerable NATO members,...

Michael O'Hanlon

Strategy & Conflict   November/December 2013 Letter

A Far Cry From Failure

Michael O'Hanlon

Defense Policy   Jul 2, 2013 Snapshot

Land Warriors

The United States has increasingly preferred to base its combat aircraft in the Middle East on aircraft carriers in and near the Persian Gulf. But now it should change...

Michael O'Hanlon and Bruce Riedel

War & Military Strategy   Aug 31, 2011 Postscript

Libya and the Obama Doctrine

The U.S. campaign was a success but a provisional and limited one. Qaddafi is gone, but his ouster will not become a model for future interventions.

Michael O'Hanlon

War & Military Strategy   Mar 30, 2011 Snapshot

Winning Ugly in Libya

Although the Libya mission has been effective in averting a humanitarian debacle so far, it has been ugly in some ways. But as Ivo Daalder and I argued about the...

Michael O'Hanlon

U.S. Foreign Policy   September/October 2010 Essay

Staying Power

Americans have growing doubts about the U.S. mission in Afghanistan that U.S. President Barack Obama seems to share. But the United States should and will maintain a...

Michael O'Hanlon

WMD & Proliferation   Sep 23, 2009 Postscript

Star Wars Retreats?

The Obama administration's cancellation of a missile-defense network in Europe is not a sign of misguided weakness, but rather the result of a prudent reexamination of...

Michael O'Hanlon

Defense Policy   November/December 2003 Essay

Clinton's Strong Defense Legacy

Conventional wisdom holds that Bill Clinton presided over a disastrous downsizing of the U.S. military. But this claim is wrong. In fact, Clinton's Pentagon maintained...

Michael O'Hanlon

U.S. Foreign Policy   March/April 2001 Comment

Come Partly Home, America: How to Downsize U.S. Deployments Abroad

America should not abdicate its military duties abroad. But careful cuts in the number of U.S. troops overseas could alleviate some current problems -- such as poor...

Michael O'Hanlon

WMD & Proliferation   November/December 1999 Essay

Star Wars Strikes Back

Ronald Reagan's dream never died; it only faded slightly. Star Wars is still with us in a scaled-back form. Although theater missile defenses -- popularized by the...

Michael O'Hanlon

Economics   July/August 1997 Essay

Making Foreign Aid Work

Decades ago, donors saw aid as a transfer of resources from rich to poor countries. Today they see it more as a means of improving recipient countries - use of...

Carol Graham and Michael O'Hanlon