Department Index
War Stories 2009:
Military analysis.
If you'd like to sort this department listing by headline, author or date, please use the Slate search.
- All Politics Is Tribal Obama's Afghanistan strategy should team our soldiers with their militias.
Nov. 23, 2009 - Why Berlin Mattered How could one city mean so much?
Nov. 6, 2009 - Friend or Foe? The worst thing about President Karzai's brother's CIA gig.
Oct. 28, 2009 - Fill in the Numbers How the Pentagon sowed confusion with an incomplete recruitment report.
Oct. 22, 2009 - Count Off The Army says it exceeded its 2009 recruiting goals. But the numbers are very fishy.
Oct. 16, 2009 - Obama's Middle Course There's a way to solve the Afghanistan mess without sending a lot more troops or leaving the country entirely.
Oct. 13, 2009 - Insubordination? Should Gen. McChrystal stop speaking publicly about Afghan war strategy?
Oct. 6, 2009 - Iran's Friendly Nuke Talk Is it a genuine breakthrough, or is Tehran just stringing us along?
Oct. 2, 2009 - Two Questions Obama Must Ask Before Sending More Troops to Afghanistan And how to judge the responses.
Sept. 30, 2009 - It's Not About the Troops Only a legitimate Afghan government can beat the Taliban.
Sept. 22, 2009 - Shielded Obama's smart decision to scuttle Bush's European missile-defense plan.
Sept. 17, 2009 - Can We Bribe Our Way to Victory? How distributing cash—to Karzai, Abdullah, and other bigwigs—could help us win in Afghanistan.
Sept. 15, 2009 - Caution! Quagmire Ahead! The United States can't win in Afghanistan unless its new president makes major reforms, and quickly.
Aug. 27, 2009 - Clinton in Pyongyang What's behind the former president's "private" trip to North Korea?
Aug. 4, 2009 - Are We Done Yet? We're planning to be out of Iraq in 2011. Is that crazy?
July 31, 2009 - They Scrapped the F-22! The remarkable vote to kill the plane and what it means for America's military future.
July 21, 2009 - So Happy Together Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been a harmonious team. So far.
July 17, 2009 - Nukes Are Easy Obama's deal on weapons could win Russia's cooperation on tougher issues later.
July 7, 2009 - Leaving Iraq What will happen when U.S. combat troops withdraw?
June 26, 2009 - Disengagement With Iran After its fraudulent election, Obama should harden his stance with Iran.
June 15, 2009 - Obama Couldn't Sway the Iranian Election Even if He Wanted To But a lot rides on what he does after the vote.
June 11, 2009 - And Now for the Hard Part Obama's speech was impressive, but its impact may not be felt for a generation.
June 4, 2009 - There Are Already 355 Terrorists in American Prisons The preposterous arguments against allowing Gitmo detainees into the U.S.
May 29, 2009 - First, Take a Deep Breath Obama shouldn't respond too quickly, or too aggressively, to the North Korean nuclear test.
May 26, 2009 - Send Him Back to the Bunker! Dick Cheney's dishonest speech about torture, terror, and Obama.
May 21, 2009 - Gates vs. Congress Why do senators want to bust the budget for missile defense that doesn't work and a fighter plane we don't need?
May 14, 2009 - It's Obama's War Now The ouster of Afghanistan commander David McKiernan could make—or break—the Obama presidency.
May 11, 2009 - The AfPak Puzzle The good news: Obama understands what's wrong in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The bad news: He can't fix it.
May 7, 2009 - Hillary Clinton, Watch These Movies! High Noon, Godfather II, Grand Illusion, and 22 other indispensable movies for understanding war and diplomacy.
May 4, 2009 - Why Hasn't the Pakistani Army Defeated the Taliban Insurgents? It's too hung up on fighting India.
April 30, 2009 - Handshake Diplomacy What Obama's grip and grin with Hugo Chávez says about his foreign policy.
April 21, 2009 - How To Beat the Pirates Let's start by treating them like the criminals they are.
April 15, 2009 - Gates Follows Through The Pentagon is finally cutting expensive weapons programs it doesn't need.
April 6, 2009 - How Do You Solve a Problem Like Kim Jong-il? Stop playing his game.
April 6, 2009 - The Return of Statecraft How Obama proved his mettle at the G20 summit.
April 2, 2009 - Rascal Flatts The kings of Midwestern prom rock.
April 1, 2009 - Prince's New Album A new protégé and a lot of love for Salma Hayek.
March 31, 2009 - Counterinsurgenterrorism Obama's new policy for Afghanistan tries to steer a middle course.
March 27, 2009 - CT or COIN? Obama must choose this week between two radically different Afghanistan policies.
March 24, 2009 - Don't Be Afraid To Kill the F-22 Why Pentagon program cuts won't necessarily bring job cuts.
March 19, 2009 - Intelligence Failure Winners and losers in the knock-down fight over Charles Freeman's aborted appointment.
March 11, 2009 - Obama to America: The Iraq War Is Over Now we have to hope the Iraqis can hold things together.
Feb. 28, 2009 - The New Pentagon Budget—So New? Obama plans to spend as much on defense as Bush did.
Feb. 27, 2009 - Aerial Combat The Air Force tries to save a fighter plane that's never seen battle.
Feb. 25, 2009 - The Pakistan Problem Will Pakistan's instability make the Afghan war unwinnable?
Feb. 18, 2009 - The Two Reagans Which version of the Gipper would Republicans like Obama to emulate?
Feb. 13, 2009 - What Are We Doing in Afghanistan? We're still figuring that out.
Feb. 5, 2009 - PowerPoint to the People The urgent need to fix federal archiving policies.
Jan. 29, 2009 - A Presumption of Disclosure Obama revives the Freedom of Information Act.
Jan. 23, 2009 - Forget FDR and Lincoln; Obama Is Most Like JFK It's not just their biographies—it's also the tenor of their times.
Jan. 16, 2009 - A Return to Professionalism What Obama's Pentagon hires say about his presidential style.
Jan. 8, 2009 - Why Obama Picked Panetta To Run the CIA He's clean, he knows where the line items are buried, and the director isn't the chief spook anymore.
Jan. 6, 2009










