Good News: The Not-So-Pacific Pacific, published in the April 2012 issue of Military Officer, has received the Apex Award of Excellence in Feature Writing. Earlier this year, the piece received the Communicator Silver Award of Distinction. I am grateful to Military Officer for publishing (and nominating) the piece. -AWD

UN-Workable: Replacing the United Nations, ASCF Report, 12.2.13
Is it time for the United States and its democratic partners to try something new?

The Longest Spring, The American Legion Magazine, 12.1.13
The realists say the Arab Spring revolts have upended the old order in the Middle East, but was the region ever orderly?

Praying for Order and Wisdom, byFaith, 11.26.13
The Senate Chaplain asks the Almighty to help policymakers to stop governing by crisis. Let us hope his prayer is answered.



Missile Defense Progress Report, The Landing Zone, 11.21.13
A few steps up and a few steps back on missile defense.

Japan Reawakens | 10.21.13
Japan appears ready and willing to shoulder the burdens of regional security.

They Came in Peace |10.1.13
Thirty years later, survivors remember the Beirut bombing--and what it means today.
 
 

The Pattern of This World | 9.15.13
Our kids grow up fast because our culture makes them grow up fast. So how do we protect them—and ourselves—from all this junk?



A Confused and Confusing Foreign Policy | 9.4.13
Secretary Kerry recently said that the administration’s approach to the chemical-weapons attacks in Syria “is grounded in facts, informed by conscience and guided by common sense.” It's a pity the administration didn’t follow that formula in crafting a broader policy response to the Arab Spring.

Afghanistan's Rare Earth Element Bonanza | 8.13.13
Is Afghanistan's mineral wealth a silver lining or fool's gold?

Why Canada Needs Missile Defenses | 7.9.13
It's jarring to scan the roster of America's missile defense allies and not see Canada's name.

Frozen in Time | 7.1.13
The world has changed, but North Korea is still frozen where it was in 1953.

Silver Lining in Afghanistan? | May/June 2013
Afghanistan has an abundance of rare-earth elements, but does it have the institutions needed to develop its rare-earth riches?

Drone Wars: Risks and Warnings | Winter/Spring 2013
With unmanned aircraft beginning to dislodge manned platforms from the important role they have played in national defense since World War II, we are witnessing a revolution in the skies. This drone revolution promises many benefits, but there are also drawbacks to this nascent unmanned air force—drawbacks that few policymakers have contemplated. Just as drone detractors need to acknowledge what unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) bring to the table, UCAV advocates need to acknowledge the negative implications--constitutional, political, geo-strategic, geo-political--of drone warfare.

A Care-less Foreign Policy | 5.18.13
The White House isn't helpless in Syria--it's just care-less.

Unmanned Combat | Winter 2013
The appeal of drones is simple: they are cheap and they minimize risk to U.S. personnel. But there are real drawbacks to America's emerging unmanned air force.