Russia

It is difficult to envision a sustainable and successful long-term U.S. strategy for deterring Beijing’s aggression that does not include a closer and more effective U.S. security partnership with India. Tiger Triumph represents a significant milestone in that partnership — one on which both countries should continue to build.

The United States faces a daunting set of grand strategic imperatives. China’s ascension and increasing collaboration with Russia challenge the U.S.-led world order in ways not seen since the Cold War. Threats from Iran and international terrorism remain as dangerous as ever. Meanwhile, U.S. defense planners cannot safely assume they will enjoy growing or even stable defense budgets in the future. How, then, can the United States focus finite resources on great power competition while addressing persistent threats emanating from the Middle East? A large-scale U.S. pivot out of the Middle East would not be prudent, but Washington can and must find a way to address persistent threats there economically. Where it serves the interests of both countries, greater integration of U.S. and Israeli military doctrine and weapons development represents a great place to start.

Bradley Bowman is the senior director for the Center on Military and Political Power with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Andrew Gabel is a research analyst.

“America first should not mean America alone,” Donald Trump has said. Yet today America is lonelier than it was a few days ago. That’s due to an error the president made, one he should assiduously attempt to mitigate.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to watch closely as he is poised to flip the Kurds back and win Syria in its entirety. As President Trump is finalizing his game plan for northeast Syria, he needs to remember that he can still choose to win both Turks and Kurds, and thereby, America’s competition with Russia and Iran for influence in northeast Syria.