Writing for general interest outlets
“Trump vs. the Military: Why Populists Turn Against their Armed Forces—and Degrade National Power,” Foreign Affairs (online), 10 January 2025.
“The Threat to Academic Freedom: The AAUP About-Face on Boycotts Contravenes its Founding Ideals.” With Cary Nelson. Sapir 15 (autumn 2024), 128-139.
“Boycotts cannot become the New Normal,” Inside Higher Ed, 12 September 2024.
“Professors Reject Academic Boycotts, Even if the AAUP Doesn’t.” With Ron Hassner and Cary Nelson. Wall Street Journal, 30 August 2024.
“A Deferential, Partisan Public and the Future of Democratic Civil-Military Relations.” With Robert Ralston. Modern War Institute at West Point, special forum on civil-military relations, 21 August 2023.
“More Deferential but also More Political: How Americans’ Views of the Military have Changed Over Twenty Years.” With Robert Ralston. War on the Rocks, 17 November 2021.
“Why Conservatives Turned on the U.S. Military: Right-Wing Attacks are Eroding Trust in the Armed Forces.” With Robert Ralston. Foreign Affairs (online), 28 September 2021.
Fear of ‘Terrorism’ Shaped U.S. Foreign Policy After 9/11. Will the U.S. Make China the Next Big Obsession?” Washington Post/The Monkey Cage, 11 September 2021.
“Did the Afghanistan Exit Diminish U.S. Credibility Among its Allies? Probably Not.” With Jennifer Spindel. Washington Post/The Monkey Cage, 1 September 2021.
“Civilian Control of the Military is a Partisan Issue: Too Many Americans Don’t Subscribe to a Basic Tenet of Democracy.” With Robert Ralston. Foreign Affairs (online), 14 July 2020.
“The Vision Thing: Is Grand Strategy Dead?” Response to critics. With Daniel W. Drezner and Randall Schweller. Foreign Affairs 95:3 (July/August 2020): 191-192.
“This Memorial Day, Let’s Finally Start Having an Honest National Conversation About Military Service.” With Robert Ralston. War on the Rocks, 25 May 2020.
“The End of Grand Strategy: America Must Think Small.” With Daniel W. Drezner and Randall Schweller. Foreign Affairs 95:3 (May/June 2020): 107-117.
“How Not to Ensure Credibility with Allies.” With Jennifer Spindel. Modern War Institute at West Point, 21 February 2020.
“Will America’s Allies Ever Trust It Again? How Withdrawal is Managed Makes All the Difference.” With Jennifer Spindel. Washington Post/The Monkey Cage, 30 October 2019.
“Wedge Politics Won’t Bring Israeli-Palestinian Peace.” Foreign Policy (online), 8 July 2019.
“Americans’ Blind Faith in the Military Is Dangerous.” With Robert Ralston and Aaron Rapport. Foreign Policy (online), 3 December 2018.
“Democracies Need a Little Help from their Friends.” With James Ron. Foreign Policy (online), 7 June 2018.
“Foreign Funding of NGOs: Why It’s Only Good for Israel.” With James Ron. Ynet, website of the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot (in Hebrew), 18 May 2018. (Published subsequently on Ynet’s English-language site, as “Why Israelis Should Welcome Foreign Funding of their NGOs,” 23 May 2018.)
“Why Countries Should Welcome, Not Fear, Foreign Funding of NGOs.” With James Ron. Featured “Foreign Policy Essay,” Lawfare, 13 May 2018. (Republished on OpenGlobalRights, 6 June 2018.)
“The Binding of Isaac: A Lesson in Resistance to Power.” The Forward, 2 November 2017.
“Why the Nobel Peace Prize Brings Little Peace.” The Conversation, 6 October 2017.
“Trump and Obama Have One Surprising Thing in Common—The Words They Use.” With Robert Ralston. The Conversation, 8 August 2017. (Reposted to the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, and many other outlets.)
“The Dangers of Nationalist Nostalgia.” Foreign Affairs (online), 29 May 2017.
“Why Trump Won’t Be Able to Lead U.S. Foreign Policy—Even if He Tries.” Featured “Foreign Policy Essay,” Lawfare, 9 April 2017.
“Why Trump Won’t Write the Next American National Security Narrative—But Why You Should Still Be Very Worried.” Duck of Minerva, 5 April 2017.
“Pity the President.” The National Interest 148 (March/April 2017): 34-42.
“Does Military Integration After Civil War Keep the Peace?” With Roy Licklider. Washington Post/The Monkey Cage, 3 April 2016.
“Delusions of Grand Strategy: The Problem with Washington's Planning Obsession.” With David M. Edelstein. Foreign Affairs 94:6 (November/December 2015): 109-116.
“How the Ultraorthodox, the Alienation of the Arab Minority, and Illiberal Forces Threaten Israeli Democracy.” Interview in The Marker (in Hebrew), 25 February 2013.
“Israel’s Bunker Mentality: How the Occupation is Destroying the Nation.” Foreign Affairs 90:6 (November/December 2011): 10-18.
“Israel’s Occupational Burdens.” International Herald Tribune, 25 October 2011.
“ ‘War on Terror’ Finally Over.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, 11 September 2011.
“You’ve Won the Nobel Peace Prize. I’m So Sorry.” Washington Post, 10 October 2010.
“Après Louis, Hamid: The Afghan Challenge is Far Tougher.” With Arjun Chowdhury. Foreign Affairs 89:4 (July/August 2010): 169-171.
“Winning the Prize, Losing the Peace.” Washington Post, 11 October 2009.
“Dangerous Prize.” Foreign Policy (online), 30 July 2009 (reposted, 9 October 2009).
“Think Again: Barack Obama and the War on Terror.” With David M. Edelstein. Foreign Policy (online), 19 January 2009.
“Rethinking the Battle of Ideas: How the United States Can Help Muslim Moderates.” Orbis 52:2 (spring 2008): 332-346.
“Where are This War’s Winter Soldiers? Why Iraq War Veterans Have Not Had Much Impact on the Debate Over the War.” Slate, 7 March 2008.
“Cruel to be Kind: Why Washington Should Not Reach Out to Muslim Moderates.” Slate, 3 January 2008.
“The Quest for the Holy Sale: Washington’s Troubling Obsession with Public Diplomacy.” With David M. Edelstein. Survival 47:1 (spring 2005): 89-104.
“It’s Time To Get Out of Iraq.” With David M. Edelstein. Chicago Tribune, 3 January 2005.