Ivo Daalder

President Ronald Reagan talks with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on Feb. 26, 1981, at the White House. Top political leaders participated in the war game "Able Archer," including Thatcher.

Column: Nuclear war was barely averted in 1983. Let that guide US-China relations now.

February 25, 2021 at 11:32 p.m.

Like many who have been locked down at home this past year, I've been passing the time by binge-watching TV, mainly foreign series. Among the best of these is the...

Vice President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Moscow in 2011.

Column: Biden, who’s been around the block with Putin, takes a balanced approach to Russia

January 28, 2021 at 6:42 p.m.

For the past 30 years, every new president entering the White House since the Cold War did so determined to improve relations with Russia. Bill Clinton believed more economic assistance...

Trump supporters participate in a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.

Column: Will the world still look to America as a champion of democracy?

January 14, 2021 at 4:50 p.m.

"What's going on over there?" The question from a former NATO colleague in Europe was among the many texts and WhatsApp messages that lit up my phone Jan. 6 as...

U.S. flags are hung Nov. 7 in Ballina, Ireland, as locals anticipate Joe Biden being elected as the next U.S. president.

Column: Europe’s problems will persist, even with Biden in the White House

December 17, 2020 at 6:47 p.m.

The election of Joe Biden produced a huge sigh of relief in Europe. "Welcome back America!" tweeted Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. "Let's work together!" exclaimed French President Emmanuel Macron. And...

President-elect Joe Biden prepares to address reporters after meeting virtually with the National Governors Association's executive committee at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware, on Nov. 19, 2020.

Commentary: On Day 1, Biden should end Trump’s vaccine nationalism

December 3, 2020 at 9:49 p.m.

Declaring "America is back," President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to rejoin the world as an active and engaged nation, committed to working with our allies and partners to tackle the...

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pass an honor guard officer during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, in 2019.

Commentary: The 3 nuclear threats facing President-elect Biden

November 19, 2020 at 8:47 p.m.

Four years ago, President Barack Obama warned Donald Trump on his visit to the Oval Office two days after the election that the biggest national security threat he would face...

People fill out their ballot during early voting at Welles Park in Chicago, Oct. 14, 2020.

Commentary: Will the U.S. return to global stage or pull further inward?

October 22, 2020 at 8:17 p.m.

U.S. presidential elections rarely turn on voters' views on foreign policy. Domestic issues such as the economy and health care, including the coronavirus pandemic this year, are almost always seen...

Aged anti-landing barricades are positioned on a beach facing China on the Taiwanese island of Little Kinmen, which at points lies only a few miles from China, on April 20, 2018, in Kinmen, Taiwan.

Commentary: The US should defend Taiwan against threats from China

October 8, 2020 at 7:40 p.m.

Is Taiwan next? That is the increasingly urgent question China observers are asking following Beijing's upending of freedoms in Hong Kong, border clashes with India and escalating saber rattling in...

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally Sept. 21, 2020, at Dayton International Airport in Ohio.

Commentary: Most Americans want more global engagement

September 21, 2020 at 11:10 p.m.

The novel coronavirus is a deadly reminder that in our interconnected world, grave dangers originating beyond our shores can prove devastating at home. In little more than six months, the...

Protesters gather near Independence Palace, residence of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in Minsk on Sept. 6, calling for his resignation in the wake of allegedly manipulated elections.

Commentary: While the West dithers, Russia stays busy

September 10, 2020 at 8:35 p.m.

August was busy for Russia this year. While dealing with growing popular protests in the east, Moscow has sought to distract attention by engaging in nefarious activities, both at home...

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