The National Interest Is What the President Says It Is
Even in a democracy, geopolitical strategy is determined mainly by the personal preferences of its leader. American voters should take note.
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Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: NurPhoto / Getty; Stock Montage / Getty; Rebecca Noble / Getty. Ukraine Was Biding Its Time
While outside analysts downplayed their chances, the Ukrainians were quietly planning an offensive across the Russian border.
Illustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani The Final Six Months of U.S. Aid for Ukraine
If Trump wins, Kyiv’s cause is in danger. Biden must prepare for that possibility.
Erin Schaff / The New York Times / Redux The Growing Incentive to Go Nuclear
Biden has inadvertently encouraged vulnerable nations to seek the ultimate shield.
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Source: Getty. The Real AI Weapons Are Drones, Not Nukes
Hollywood imagined that computers would launch a nuclear missile, but self-guided aircraft are what’s truly changing the nature of combat.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Alexander Welscher / Getty; cherezoff / Getty. What Happens When the U.S. Overestimates Its Power
American leaders keep overestimating their control over events in the Middle East, Ukraine, and around the world.
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Source: Getty. The West Armed Ukraine for a Caricature of Modern War
An outdated view of warfare helps explain why the U.S. was slow to supply long-range missiles.
Metin Aktas / Anadolu Agency / Getty What Ukraine Knows About the Future of War
Western military advisers are criticizing Kyiv’s war effort, but the Ukrainians have gained expertise of their own.
Tyler Hicks / The New York Times / Redux The U.S. and Europe Are Splitting Over Ukraine
The GOP’s populist wing would abandon Kyiv—and endanger the world’s most successful military alliance.
Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic Stop Micromanaging the War in Ukraine
Not everything is under America’s control.
Photo-illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Oliver Contreras / Bloomberg / Getty.
