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The National Interest Debating war, peace, foreign policy, defense, economics, and more in pursuit of America's interests. It is about American interests. This has been disastrous.

Over almost three decades, The National Interest, founded in 1985 by Irving Kristol and Owen Harries, has displayed a remarkable consistency in its approach to foreign policy. It is not, as the inaugural statement declared, about world affairs. It is guided by the belief that nothing will enhance those interests as effectively as the approach to foreign affairs commonly known as realism—a school o

f thought traditionally associated with such thinkers and statesmen as Disraeli, Bismarck, and Henry Kissinger. Though the shape of international politics has changed considerably in the past few decades, the magazine’s fundamental tenets have not. Instead, they have proven enduring and, indeed, appear to be enjoying something of a popular renaissance. Until recently, however, liberal hawks and neoconservatives have successfully attempted to stifle debate by arguing that prudence about the use of American power abroad was imprudent—by, in short, disparaging realism as a moribund doctrine that is wholly inimical to American idealism. After the Bush administration’s failure to discover weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, it became abundantly clear that the lack of a debate in Washington was part and parcel of a larger foreign policy failing, which was the refusal to ponder the larger implications and consequences of the promiscuous use of American power abroad. A reflexive substitution of military might for diplomacy, of bellicose rhetoric for attainable aspirations, dramatically weakened rather than strengthened America’s standing around the globe. But today, as Russia, China, and Iran assess and act upon their own perceived national interests, Washington must attempt to understand those nations as they understand themselves. This is why a return to realism has seldom been more imperative. It is notions of interdependence, the end of sovereignty, and the inutility of power that have all proven wanting in the past decade. International relations was not reinvented in 1989. While it may be an old foreign policy concept, the notion of a national interest is not an antiquarian one. On the contrary, it has never possessed more relevance than now. What actually constitutes true realism is, of course, an appropriate source of controversy. And so, on both its web site and in its print edition, The National Interest seeks to promote, as far as possible, a fresh debate about the course of American foreign policy by featuring a variety of leading authors from government, journalism, and academia, many of whom may at times disagree with each other. But it is only out of such disagreements that dogmas can be dispelled and clarity about America’s proper aims achieved. By contributing a vital stimulus towards fashioning a new foreign policy consensus based on civil and enlightened contention, The National Interest seeks to serve this country’s wider national interest.

Fighter pilots, for all of their impressive real-life combat achievements, are still prone to exaggerations and tall tal...
19/02/2025

Fighter pilots, for all of their impressive real-life combat achievements, are still prone to exaggerations and tall tales.

Colonel Tomb was supposedly a double ace of the VPAF who scored anywhere from twelve to fourteen air-to-air kills against American warplanes. As the saying goes, “The first casualty of war is truth.” To put a less cynical and somewhat more lighthearted spin on that, fighter pilots, for all of th...

Kyiv’s prioritization of its booming drone industry has been instrumental in the country’s ability to thwart Russian adv...
19/02/2025

Kyiv’s prioritization of its booming drone industry has been instrumental in the country’s ability to thwart Russian advances.

Kyiv’s prioritization of its booming drone industry has been instrumental in the country’s ability to thwart Russian advances. Nearly three years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, drone use continues to shape the conflict. Since February 2022, both Moscow and Kyiv have relied on an array of...

The new president seems to implicitly grasp two core lessons from Machiavelli’s writing: the difficulty of fundamental c...
19/02/2025

The new president seems to implicitly grasp two core lessons from Machiavelli’s writing: the difficulty of fundamental change, and the need to strike quickly against his enemies, writes James Holmes.

President Trump seems to implicitly grasp two core lessons from Machiavelli’s writing: the difficulty of fundamental change, and the need to strike quickly against his enemies.

Rising tariffs pose a threat in the long-term towards the domestic growth of the LNG sector, writes Greg Priddy.
18/02/2025

Rising tariffs pose a threat in the long-term towards the domestic growth of the LNG sector, writes Greg Priddy.

The new wave of rising tariffs pose a threat in the long-term to the growth of the domestic LNG sector of the energy economy.

The vice president’s speech at the Paris AI Summit emphasized speed, deregulation, and America’s bid for global technolo...
18/02/2025

The vice president’s speech at the Paris AI Summit emphasized speed, deregulation, and America’s bid for global technological supremacy.

The vice president’s speech at the Paris AI Summit emphasized speed, deregulation, and America’s bid for global technological supremacy.

"The Pentagon cannot afford to simply buy more of yesterday. Instead, it must dynamically adapt for tomorrow," write Gle...
18/02/2025

"The Pentagon cannot afford to simply buy more of yesterday. Instead, it must dynamically adapt for tomorrow," write Glen VanHerck and Pete Fesler.

The “Iron Dome for America” proposal creates an enormous chance to think differently while the United States adapts its culture and processes to the strategic landscape it faces today.

Despite the dog-eat-dog mentality of international politics, the America-China competition in Latin America is not a gam...
18/02/2025

Despite the dog-eat-dog mentality of international politics, the America-China competition in Latin America is not a game where there can be only one winner, writes Madelyn MacMurray.

The America-China economic competition for influence in Latin America is not doomed to produce a winner and a loser.

Without a reformed Palestinian Authority presence in Gaza, Hamas will continue to rule the Strip, writes Delaney Solida...
18/02/2025

Without a reformed Palestinian Authority presence in Gaza, Hamas will continue to rule the Strip, writes Delaney Soliday.

Without a reformed Palestinian Authority presence in Gaza, Hamas will continue to rule the Strip.

"Congress has forfeited its power in international trade and taxation to an imperial presidency," writes Ivan Eland.
18/02/2025

"Congress has forfeited its power in international trade and taxation to an imperial presidency," writes Ivan Eland.

Trump’s wild tariff threats would be less of a problem if Congress guarded its powers competently.

Chinese hydroelectric power plans in Tibet threaten to destabilize the Himalayan region’s ecology and politics.
18/02/2025

Chinese hydroelectric power plans in Tibet threaten to destabilize the Himalayan region’s ecology and politics.

Chinese hydroelectric power plans in Tibet threaten to destabilize the Himalayan region’s ecology and politics.

The United States Air Force operates a fleet of seventy-six B-52s aircraft, including reserves.
18/02/2025

The United States Air Force operates a fleet of seventy-six B-52s aircraft, including reserves.

The United States Air Force operates a fleet of seventy-six B-52s aircraft, including reserves.

China is stationing J-16 fighters in the South China Sea in an obvious attempt to assert greater control over the area.
18/02/2025

China is stationing J-16 fighters in the South China Sea in an obvious attempt to assert greater control over the area.

China is stationing J-16 fighters in the South China Sea in an obvious attempt to assert greater control over the area.

With the future of Ukraine uncertain following the election of President Trump, Kyiv can consider itself lucky to have s...
18/02/2025

With the future of Ukraine uncertain following the election of President Trump, Kyiv can consider itself lucky to have stalwart friends like the United Kingdom.

With the future of Ukraine uncertain following the election of President Trump, Kyiv can consider itself lucky to have stalwart friends like the United Kingdom.

Since Moscow can’t produce enough ballistic and cruise missiles, it is outsourcing many of their missions to far cheaper...
18/02/2025

Since Moscow can’t produce enough ballistic and cruise missiles, it is outsourcing many of their missions to far cheaper drones.

Since Moscow can’t produce enough ballistic and cruise missiles, it is outsourcing many of their missions to far cheaper drones.

Collisions involving carriers are not common, but also not unheard of.
18/02/2025

Collisions involving carriers are not common, but also not unheard of.

Collisions involving carriers are not common, but also not unheard of.

Russia promptly accused Ukraine of planning the Chernobyl attack as a “false flag” operation.
18/02/2025

Russia promptly accused Ukraine of planning the Chernobyl attack as a “false flag” operation.

Russia promptly accused Ukraine of planning the Chernobyl attack as a “false flag” operation.

Another day, another major military mishap.
18/02/2025

Another day, another major military mishap.

Until the Pentagon figures out that the age of the aircraft carrier is over and starts diversifying its power projection portfolio, America is vulnerable.

The Navy has been using the EA-18G Growler since 2009 and has approximately 150 aircraft in its fleet.
18/02/2025

The Navy has been using the EA-18G Growler since 2009 and has approximately 150 aircraft in its fleet.

The Navy has been using the EA-18G Growler since 2009 and has approximately 150 aircraft in its fleet.

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Videos

Spheres of influence: Outdated relic or renewed reality?
Spheres of influence: Outdated relic or renewed reality?

We are live! Check out the Center for the National Interest’s webinar on the return of spheres of influence in world politics, co-hosted with our friends from the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and Russia Matters.

CFTNI debate experts from the Eurasia Center on the question of why the US should care about Ukraine

U.S. Middle East Policy

The Risks and Opportunities of Employing Offensive Cyber Operations with Ben Buchanan, Jason Healey, and George Beebe.

Energy and U.S.-China Competition
Energy and U.S.-China Competition

Paul Saunders, President of the Energy Innovation Reform Project, discusses the future of U.S. energy and its role in U.S- China economic competition with David Hart, Director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government. The discussion was moderated by Jacob Heilbrunn, Editor of The National Interest.

The Recent Developments in Ukraine
The Recent Developments in Ukraine

CFTNI Vice President and Director of Studies George Beebe moderates a discussion on the recent developments in Ukraine with panelists Keith Darden of American University, Samuel Charp of RAND Corporation, and Jacob Heilbrunn, Editor of The National Interest magazine.

Why Boris Johnson will be the next British Prime Minister
Why Boris Johnson will be the next British Prime Minister

Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest, interviews Andrew Stuttaford, contributing editor to The National Review.

U.S. Financial Power, Europe, and China
U.S. Financial Power, Europe, and China

The United States' use of sanctions and foreign governments' attempts to work around them pose critical questions for the future of U.S. financial prominence. Our speakers are Dr. David Dollar, a senior fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, and Elizabeth Rosenberg, a Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.

Sea Power Series: Naval Force Structure

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