Blog

Senior Fellow Alan Dowd’s writing about national defense and international security has been featured in a number of scholarly and policy publications, including Real Clear Defense, Providence, Policy Review, The American Interest, Global Security Review, The Weekly Standard, American Outlook, National Review, The National Interest, The American, Military Officer, Wall Street Journal Europe, Parameters, American Legion, The Landing Zone and World Politics Review, among others.

Strait Jacket, October 1, 2026

Tariffs 101, September 1, 2026

Leader of the Free World, July 29, 2026

A New Strategy with Old Roots, June 29, 2026

For All Those in Authority, April 27, 2026

A Blueprint for Deterring War over Taiwan, March 23, 2026

Broader Lessons of Middle East War, March 20, 2026

Spinning Trump’s Policies into Strategy, February 20, 2026

Points, Counterpoints and Starting Points, January 5, 2026

Trump’s National Security Strategy Delivers a Troubling Message to Europe, December 17, 2025

Russia Grows Reckless, Europe Gets Serious, November 3, 2025

NATO’s Arctic Seven Find Strength in Numbers, October 8, 2025

Warning Signs, October 1, 2025

Time to End a Hopeless Policy, September 30, 2025

Germany Steps Up, September 3, 2025

Trump’s Path to an Imperfect Peace, August 20, 2025

All Hands on Deck to Deter China, August 7, 2025

A Great Dream, July 4, 2026

No Replacement, July 1, 2025

The False Dichotomy Between Supporting Ukraine and Taiwan, June 6, 2025

New Strategy for a New Domain, June 5, 2025

The New Nuclear Age, May 12, 2025

Just Statecraft and the Problem of “Peace,” April 9, 2025

NATO Adjusts to a World Not at War, Not at Peace, April 2, 2025

FYI to the GOP on NATO, March 25, 2025

Year Three of Putin’s Three-Day War, February 20, 2025

Different Threats, Different Strategies, February 3, 2025

With Trump, Focus on Winning, February 3, 2025

The Great Taiwan Sealift, January 8, 2025

America, Allies Come Together in the Indo-Pacific, October 9, 2024

Finish Ukraine’s Bridge to NATO Membership, September 4, 2024

NATO Answers the Wake-Up Call, August 8, 2024

Allies Restock the Arsenal of Democracy, July 2, 2024

All One Fight, July 1, 2024

Japan: We are with You, June 5, 2024

A Dangerous New Nuclear Age, June 1, 2024

Lessons from Iran’s Attack on Israel, May 1, 2024

The Technicalities and Realities of Alliances, April 3, 2024

What’s at Stake in Ukraine, March 4, 2024

A Common Defense for the Global Commons, February 2, 2024

A Revived Monroe Doctrine, January 4, 2024

The Road to Catastrophe, January 1, 2024

Why America Cares about Israel’s Security, December 12, 2023

Lessons from Kennedy’s Last Speech, November 20, 2023

Free World Defense: Striking the Balance, October 5, 2023

The Case for U.S. Engagement, September 8, 2023

U.S., Allies Work to Deter Korean War II, August 4, 2023

The Case for a Trans-Arctic Alliance, July 6, 2023

Out of Order, June 2023

Poland Becomes Critical U.S. Ally, May 10, 2023

Will Russia Survive Putin’s War? April 10, 2023

Geometry and Arithmetic in the Indo-Pacific, March 1, 2023

Xi’s Vision for the 21st Century, February 3, 2023

Why Ukraine’s ‘MacGyver’ Military Is Winning, December 15, 2022

A Space Coalition of the Willing to Counter Russian, Chinese Threats, November 16, 2022

Strong Signals October 5, 2022

The Free World’s Fighter Jet September 8, 2022

Back to the Future for NATO August 15, 2022

Ripple Effects in the Arctic July 13, 2022

Russia Learns that (Info)war Is Hell June 10, 2022

No More Free-Riders in the Free World May 12, 2022

Looking ahead to Fortress Ukraine April 18, 2022

Putin’s War, NATO’s Unity, Ukraine’s Valor March 15, 2022

The Free World’s Wall of Strength March 10, 2022

The Causes and Consequences of Putin’s War March 3, 2022

A Trial of Strength in Europe February 4, 2022 

Overreliance on Over-the-Horizon Strikes November 9, 2021

America as a Reforming Global Power October 15, 2021

Still a Symbol of Freedom September 13, 2021

The Swedish Are Coming August 16, 2021

All Hands on Deck July 14, 2021

Time for a Doctrine on Cyberspace Defense June 16, 2021

Taiwan: Frontline State in Cold War II May 17, 2021

Space Force Growing up Fast 4.19.21

National Guard Lives up to Its Name, Motto 3.15.21

NATO’s Pacific plans 2.17.21

Change, Continuity and a New Commander in Chief 1.15.21

The Bear Is Not Bluffing 12.17.20

America’s Newest Military Branch Celebrates its First Birthday 12.3.20

Supply Chain Reactions 12.1.20

Super Friends 11.18.20

Shrinking Bomber Fleet 10.19.20

United We Stand or Separated We Survive? 10.1.20

To Save Taiwan, America Must Help Deter China 9.16.20

The China Challenge 8.18.20

And Then There Were Six 8.1.20

The World Finally Sees Xi’s China as It Is 7.31.20

Tunnel Vision 7.8.20

The “Good Old Days” 6.24.20

Helping Hands during the Coronavirus Crisis 6.17.20

Xi Recasts China as the Good Samaritan 5.21.20

A Navy for Tomorrow 5.18.20

Blame Xi Jinping’s Regime for Mishandling COVID-19 4.24.20

The Reckoning 4.21.20

Lessons Learned, Relearned, and Unlearned in Afghanistan 4.6.20

The Wisdom Gap 4.1.20

NATO is Finally Waking Up, Trying to Deter Russia 3.11.20

Retreat, Return, Repeat 3.9.20

Worth the Cost  2.1.20

Weighing the Soleimani Strike 1.22.20

Postwar Alliance System a Good Deal for America 1.9.20

Jackpot 1.1.20

Obama and Trump’s Mistakes in Syria: Green Lights and Red Lines 11.6.19

Not the End of History 11.1.19

Foreign Policy and Moral Implications of the Trump-Zelensky Phone Call 10.29.19

In Defense of Foreign Aid 10.1.19

A New Military Branch for the Final Frontier 8.13.19

Here We Go Again and Again, 9.10.19

Ugly Words and Horrific Events, 8.7.19

The Apollo Program and a New View of Creation, 7.15.19

A Dangerous Popularity Contest, 6.10.19

Putin Makes Artic Push 5.20.19

Trump’s Tariff Gambit 5.1.19

NATO and the National Interest 4.9.19

Faith, Freedom, Foreign Policy and a Socialist Revival, 3.26.19

A Stalwart Ally in the Pacific 3.18.19

A Rescue of Weimar Venezuela? 2.14.19

A Whittled Big Stick 2.1.19

A Partnership of Democratic Nations 12.10.18

Bridging the Transatlantic Divide 10.15.18

Friends in High Places 9.1.18

Responding to Russia 7.31.18

The Power of a Little Fear 6.6.18

Forward Motion on Missile Defense 5.16.18

A Navy of Navies 4.16.18

Built to Last 3.1.18

The Sacrifices of Sequestration 2.1.18  

Monroe 2.0 2.1.18

Geopolitical Geometry 1.15.18

A Question of Intervention 1.1.18

The Trouble with Taiwan 9.1.17

NATO Takes the Fifth 9.1.17

Space Force or Space Corps 7.19.17

The Cult of Castro 7.1.17

Insurance against Mistakes, Miscalculation and Madmen 6.1.17

America’s Inward Turn 6.1.17

In the Interest of Humanity 4.1.17

America’s Military is Losing its Technological Edge 3.15.17

Not Alone in Iraq 1.17.17

A Shield for Faith 1.1.17

Veterans Wanted 12.19.16

Lead Together, Bleed Together 12.1.16

Twenty Five Years of Continuous Combat 11.16.16

Bearing the Burden 9.1.16

Moral Hazard 7.1.16

Resourcing the Rebalance 7.1.16

Mission Statements 4.1.16

The Burdens of Coalition Warfare 2.11.16

No To Be Trusted 2.1.16

A Banner for the Nations 3.1.16

From Desert Storm to Desert Drizzle 1.15.16

Broken Engagements 12.1.15

Shield and Sword 12.1.15

On the Ragged Edge 11.16.15

Keeping the Open Seas Open 10.23.15

The Myths of Nuclear Drawdown 8.1.15

A Regime That Cannot Be Trusted 7.19.15

NATO Needs to Invest in the Common Defense 7.10.15

In Defense of Missile Defense 6.15.15

Answer the Baltics’ S.O.S. 5.29.15

Confused at Camp David 5.16.15

Cure for a World Adrift 11.25.14

The Face of America 2.1.14

The (Not So) Pacific 4.1.12

History Lesson 4.1.10

Declinism 8.1.07

After the Kim Dynasty 7.1.07

The Exertions of Better Men 12.1.05

A Different Course? 9.1.04