Russia Archives | Washington Monthly

Strategic Swagger: After years of warning that the Europe needs “strategic autonomy,” French President Emmanuel Macron has won the argument abroad—and lost his public at home. Here, Macron during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 20, 2026.

The French Rejection

by Gillen Tener Martin May 26, 2026May 27, 2026

Why Emmanuel Macron can’t convince his voters to rearm.

Pope John Paul II

The Secret Plan to Murder a Pope

by Marvin Kalb May 12, 2026May 8, 2026

U.S.-led international order and NATO

Why the U.S.-led Liberal World Order Is Only Mostly Dead

by Paul Glastris May 4, 2026May 5, 2026

NATO withdrawal? President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in July.

Democrats Should Tell Our NATO Allies Trump Can’t Quit Them

by Bill Scher March 20, 2026March 20, 2026

Iranian Drones: Iran’s drones can be rapidly rebuilt, even in wartime. Pictured here, Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, left, who was killed in the airstrikes carried out by the U.S. and Israel, and then Defense Minister Gen. Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani review domestically built drones in a ceremony to deliver the drones to the army.

Asymmetric War in Iran: How Trump and the U.S. Are Being Played

by Mike Lofgren March 19, 2026March 19, 2026

Regime Reckoning: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is betting the Cuban regime is finally ready to break. Here, Rubio attends a lunch at the Shield of the Americas Summit, Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Florida.

Cuba Libre: Rubio’s Big Bet on Regime Change in Havana

by Markos Kounalakis March 16, 2026March 18, 2026

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio represent two faces of a Republican Party that has largely abandoned the liberal internationalism it once championed.

America’s Illiberal Internationalism

by George Thomas February 9, 2026February 9, 2026

Strongman Goals: President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office of the White House, September 25, 2025.

Trump’s Authoritarian Envy: The Plight and Peril of a Lame Duck

by Markos Kounalakis February 6, 2026February 5, 2026

As U.S. reliability fades and great-power coercion returns, Europe confronts a radical question: can it secure itself without its own nuclear deterrent?

Why Europe Needs Its Own Nuclear Deterrent

by Markos Kounalakis January 26, 2026January 26, 2026

German troops receive the new G95 assault rifle at a Bavarian training base in December 2025, as Berlin accelerates a once-unthinkable military buildup.

Germany’s Rearmament Is Stunning

by Tamar Jacoby January 7, 2026February 3, 2026