Leon Panetta

Axis of Aggressors

Why Dismantling Iran’s Nuclear Program Doesn’t Mean War

When confronted with a firm United States, Iran has remained largely restrained to avoid provoking direct military confrontation.

Deterring Iran’s Dash to the Bomb

The United States and Saudi Arabia: A Possible Path Forward

If Putin Uses Nukes in Ukraine, the U.S. Must Respond with Military Force

Russia simply cannot be allowed to unleash nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Building on Biden’s Israel Commitments Before It’s Too Late

During President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel last week, he and Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a landmark declaration that contains several important U.S. commitments, including on preventing Iran from...

Biden’s North Korea Policy Needs Rebooting

A series of missile tests make it plain that carrots don’t work without sticks.

Iran nuclear talks are restarting, but they’re pointless: Biden needs a bipartisan strategy

President Joe Biden’s Iran policy is failing, and the indirect negotiations restarting in Vienna Nov. 29 won’t yield a win. Biden assumed that goodwill gestures and proactive concessions would bring...

America’s Avengers

REVIEW: 'Countdown Bin Laden' by Chris Wallace with Mitch Weiss

Biden’s catastrophe

Responding to the disastrous fallout of his Afghanistan withdrawal, President Joe Biden declared that the “buck stops with me” — and then spent the rest of his first public address on the crisis...

Getting Out of Iran’s Way

The election of Ebrahim Raisi shows Iran's lack of interest in peace with the West—and the perils of pulling out of the Middle East altogether.

Leaving Afghanistan

There’s not much time left to mitigate the consequences

Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: Late May

America’s mission in Afghanistan isn’t accomplished

The Taliban and al-Qaeda remain threats to the Afghan government — and to Americans.

What’s wrong with appeasement?

Only the fact that concessions don’t actually conciliate despots

Defending Forward

Securing America by Projecting Military Power Abroad

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Edward C. Cardon Named to Board of Advisors of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power

(Washington, D.C., March 29, 2019) – Lieutenant General (retired) Edward C. Cardon has joined the Board of Advisors for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ (FDD) Center on Military and Poli...

The Uses of Military Power

Episode 29

FDD Launches New Center on Military and Political Power

Names H.R. McMaster as Chairman and Bradley Bowman as Senior Director