Sharper
The CNAS Sharper series features curated analysis and commentary from CNAS experts on the most critical challenges in U.S. foreign policy. From the future of America's relationship with China to the state of U.S. sanctions policy and more, each collection will draw on the reports, interviews, and other commentaries produced by experts across the Center to explore how America can strengthen its competitive edge.
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Get caught up on all the previous issues of Sharper.
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Sharper: Defending Against Drones
After three decades of air dominance, the United States faces a more hostile world brought about by the proliferation of inexpensive military and commercial drones. In any fut...
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Sharper: Quantum
In the 21st century, the countries with the most advanced quantum technologies could have the most advanced weapons systems, pharmaceuticals, weather forecasting, and clean en...
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Sharper: Chips and Export Controls
As competition between the United States and China has intensified, advanced technology has become the latest battlefield. After years of restricting China’s access to advance...
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Sharper: The Axis of Upheaval
Despite some claims to the contrary, the axis of upheaval remains active: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea continue to deepen their ties. Russia and China are flexing thei...
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Sharper: The National Guard
The National Guard plays an integral role in U.S. national security, both at home and abroad. The Guard, unique among the military components, is governed by multiple provisio...
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Sharper: Russia and the Axis of Upheaval
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine served as a dramatic catalyst for strengthening the global axis of upheaval. To sustain its war effort, Russia has imported Iranian weapons a...
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Sharper: Trump’s First 100 Days and Ukraine
The first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term has dramatically reoriented the United States’ relationship with its global allies and adversaries. Nowhere has this...
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Sharper: America’s Edge
A volatile global security environment requires the United States and its allies to develop new tactics and capabilities to deal with novel global threats. On June 3, policyma...
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Sharper: Military Artificial Intelligence
Since the atomic bomb, no technology has the potential to be as disruptive to warfare as artificial intelligence (AI). AI could deliver instant targeting solutions, develop hi...
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Sharper: The Transatlantic Relationship
The last few weeks have seen dramatic developments in the transatlantic relationship between the United States and its European allies. President Trump’s phone call with Vladi...
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Sharper: National Security Human Capital
U.S. national security depends on the nation’s ability to leverage the expertise of uniformed warfighters and the highly skilled civilian professionals who develop and impleme...
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Sharper: Iran and the Axis of Upheaval
Despite suffering geopolitical setbacks since Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel, a potentially nuclear Iran continues to pose a significant threat to U.S. and allied interes...
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Sharper: Trump's First 100 Days
Donald Trump takes office in a complex and volatile global environment. Rising tensions with China, the continued war in Ukraine, and instability in the Middle East all pose s...
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Sharper: Tariffs
The incoming Trump administration has signaled that tariffs will be a central pillar of its economic strategy, with significant implications for international trade, the Ameri...
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Sharper: Trump 2.0
Donald Trump's return to the White House is widely expected to reshape America's global priorities. With personnel choices and policy agendas that mark a significant break fro...
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Sharper: Emerging Technology
Emerging technologies are reshaping U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. These technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for growth, but also introduce na...
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Sharper: Drones on the Battlefield
From the battlefields of Libya to Nagorno-Karabakh to Ukraine, the deployment of drones has become a critical element of modern warfare. Will the explosion of unmanned aerial ...
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Sharper: Axis of Upheaval
A loose but growing coalition between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea demonstrates that their combined strategic interests have the potential to pose significant economic...
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Sharper: Economic Security
U.S. international economic policy now centers squarely on economic security objectives, as a result of geopolitical competition with China, post-pandemic awareness of the fra...
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Sharper: NATO Summit
The 75th NATO Summit was held in Washington DC, last week, and brought together leaders and governments to discuss pressing issues facing the world's oldest alliance. A bridge...
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Sharper: High Stakes
High Stakes: Preparing the Next President is CNAS’s new election-year initiative to explore the most pressing national security issues that will face the next administration. ...
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Sharper: Nuclear Deterrence
The United States faces two determined near-peer competitors with robust conventional military forces and increasingly advanced nuclear arsenals. In the Indo-Pacific, the Peop...
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Sharper: NATO 75
From July 9–11, NATO leaders from across the Atlantic will gather in Washington, DC for the 2024 NATO Summit, which marks the 75th anniversary of the alliance. This meeting wi...
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Sharper: Maritime Security
The importance of securing the maritime domain is rapidly increasing. From the South China Sea to the Red Sea, the U.S. and its allies are experiencing escalating challenges t...
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Sharper: Regulating Technology
The pace of technological change presents both immense opportunity for private industry and complex challenges for national security. These technologies, including artificial ...
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Sharper: Next Generation in National Security
It is imperative for the United States to ensure that the next generation of national security leaders and public servants are properly prepared for the challenges and opportu...
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Sharper: Middle East Security and Stability
The fallout from the war in Gaza created a considerable shift in Middle East regional dynamics and challenges to cohesion. As the region continues to experience broadening sec...
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Sharper: Democracy
While 2024 marks the beginning of a presidential election year in the United States, it also marks a year of elections across the globe. These elections are taking place amid ...
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Sharper: Diplomacy Digest
How, and with whom, the United States engages matters. From pledges to address climate change with China, to leading hostage releases in Gaza, and cooperating with nations to ...
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Sharper: Serving America's Veterans
As America’s military continues to struggle to meet recruiting targets, the proper treatment of veterans and servicemembers is increasingly vital to ensure the All-Volunteer F...
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Sharper: AUKUS
The AUKUS partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States began as an agreement to provide Australia access to nuclear-powered submarines and various de...
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Sharper: Israel at War
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented and destructive attack on Israel. The consequences of this attack will reverberate throughout the region, with difficult ob...
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Sharper: Legislating National Security
Congress’s role in national security is increasingly in the spotlight. The country narrowly avoided a government shutdown with a bill that did not include more funding to Ukra...
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Sharper: Ukrainian Counteroffensive
With the slow progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive this summer, observers expressed increased uncertainty regarding the conflict’s trajectory. This lack of advancement c...
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Sharper: National Security Workforce
A capable workforce is central to the effectiveness of any government, military, or industry. Opaque processes and standards that lag behind the private sector contribute to r...
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Sharper: Campaigning and the National Defense Strategy
The United States faces the unprecedented challenge of simultaneously deterring large-scale conventional aggression by two nuclear-armed powers while also managing other threa...
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Sharper: Economic Statecraft
As competition between the United States and China escalates, and the war in Ukraine continues, countries have embraced new forms of economic statecraft to accomplish key fore...
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Sharper: AI Safety and Stability
Artificial intelligence has sprawled its way across national news headlines, leading to a range of pressing conversations about the technology and how U.S. policymakers should...
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Sharper: American Power & Purpose
Today, new questions arise about the intent and impact of American power. Adversaries and competitors, allies and partners, and the American people are evaluating America’s po...
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Sharper: Military Recruitment
With the 50th anniversary of the United States’ All-Volunteer Force this summer, and the current recruiting crisis potentially impacting force readiness, military personnel po...
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Sharper: U.S.-ROK Alliance
With the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance this year, a summit between Presidents Biden and Yoon on the horizon, and an increasing emphasis from Washington on security...
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Sharper: Iraq
It has been 20 years since the United States began Operation Iraqi Freedom, and over a year since the Biden administration transitioned from a combat mission to an advise-and-...
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Sharper: Ukraine One Year Later
Immediately after President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the general consensus was that Ukrainian forces would be overwhelmed in a matter of days. O...
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Sharper: Critical Technology
Critical technologies promise to upend traditional understandings of national security, economic prosperity, and everyday life. Artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantu...
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Sharper: National Security in a Divided Congress
Following the 2022 midterm elections, a new U.S. Congress was sworn in, resulting in a divided House and Senate with narrow margins. Key national security legislative items ar...
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Sharper: Integrated Deterrence
The belated 2022 National Defense Strategy—released in October of last year—identified integrated deterrence as the cornerstone of the strategy. Integrated deterrence calls fo...
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Sharper: The Future of Russia Relations
While the recently released U.S. National Defense Strategy names the People's Republic of China as the greatest pacing threat facing the United States, Russia poses the most i...
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Sharper: The State of AI
The U.S. government's recent chip export controls are the latest salvo in the U.S.–China rivalry in artificial intelligence. Semiconductors are a key input for AI systems and ...
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Sharper: NATO
As the war in Ukraine pushes past the six-month mark, NATO stands at a critical juncture. In the face of renewed great-power competition in Europe, the alliance has proved to ...
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Sharper: Climate Security
Climate change is a force multiplier for geopolitical instability and operational readiness, the stressors of which profoundly impact national security priorities and resource...
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Sharper: Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is one of the United States' newest, but most pivotal federal government departments, charged with protecting national security since...
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Sharper: Industrial Policy
Lawmakers in Washington have increasingly pushed for legislation to address key industry vulnerabilities and better position the United States as a leader in critical technolo...
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Sharper: Middle East
President Biden’s recent Middle East tour was vital in presenting U.S. foreign policy in the region. Other geopolitical developments including the killing of al Qaeda leader A...
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Sharper: Wargames
From armed conflicts to global pandemics, military strategists and policymakers use gaming to gain insights into some of the most challenging problems they face. Ranging from ...
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Sharper: Pride in National Security
In order for the United States to maintain its strategic advantage, the national security community must be able to access the nation's top talent and draw from their strength...
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Sharper: The Indo-Pacific Pivot
Previous presidential administrations have laid much groundwork diplomatically and militarily to ensure a strategic pivot to the Indo-Pacific. The past week has seen the ASEAN...
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Sharper: The Authoritarianism Challenge
Autocratic leadership is on the rise globally. Even in democratic nations, leaders are eroding checks on their power and weakening institutions. The use of illiberal technolog...
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Sharper: Sanctions on Russia
The threat of sanctions from the United States, Europe, and their allies against Russia failed to deter the superpower from invading Ukraine, yet they remain one of the most i...
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Sharper: Defense Budget and Strategy
On Monday, the Biden administration released the annual presidential budget request and a two-page fact sheet on the forthcoming 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS). While th...
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Sharper: Nuclear Weapons
The threat of nuclear war has reentered the global consciousness as Russia endangers the security of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, North Korea ramps up its testing of ballis...
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Sharper: Blockchain
The rapid innovation of cryptocurrency technology beyond the current regulatory framework within the space has urged U.S. policymakers to advance their understanding of blockc...
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Sharper: Russia
With the deployment of 2,000 U.S. troops to Europe and continued intervention from global leaders, what economic and hard power options remain to prevent a full Russian invasi...
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Sharper: Global Posture
The Department of Defense is finalizing the first global posture review of the Biden administration, an assessment of the U.S. military's global footprint. What will the admin...
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Sharper: Women Who Serve
With the proposed 2022 National Defense Authorization Act set to include an amendment requiring women to register for Selective Service, the role of women in the military is o...
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Sharper: Supply Chain Security
The pandemic has shown that the resilience of America's global supply chains—the interconnected movement of goods and services from creation to consumer—is a national security...
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Sharper: Indo-Pacific Partnerships & Allies
Through the Quad and the newly minted, yet controversial, AUKUS agreement, Washington is increasing its focus and resources on the Indo-Pacific region. The White House is also...
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Sharper: Afghanistan 20 Years Later
The chaotic end to the war in Afghanistan bookends two decades in which America changed irrevocably. Thousands of soldiers experienced dual wars, and multiple generations of v...
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Sharper: The Future of European Leadership
When President Biden declared that "America is back," many European partners breathed a sigh of relief that the future may bring a much-desired era of stability—and predictabi...
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Sharper: The Budget
The defense budget and its $715 million price tag accounts for much of the U.S. government's discretionary spending every year, but where will (and should) this money go in th...
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Sharper: Defense Tech
The prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, the growing centrality of information warfare, and threats to traditional command and control are redefining combat in ...
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Sharper: Israeli-Palestinian Diplomacy
In recent days, Israel and Palestine have been overcome by the worst violence since the 2014 Gaza war. This flare-up poses the first real test to the Biden administration’s fo...
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Sharper: The Next 100 Days
As the administration marks its 100th day in office, what lies ahead?...
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Sharper: The Quad
How can the Quad countries take advantage of new opportunities for cooperation?...
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Sharper: The Beijing-Moscow Partnership
Cooperation between Russia and China has deepened across nearly every dimension of their relationship....
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Sharper: Civil-Military Relations
The so-called “civil-military divide” has increasingly defined the relationship between America's civil society and its armed forces....
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Sharper: National Security's Next Generation
The need to amplify new and diverse voices in national security policymaking has never been clearer....
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Sharper: Financial Technology
CNAS experts are sharpening the conversation about the economic and national security implications of new innovations in financial technology....
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Sharper: Iran
While President Biden has publicly committed to reengaging Iran, his administration faces immediate challenges....
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Sharper: Day One
The Biden-Harris administration will confront a range of national security challenges from the moment it takes office....
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Sharper: 2020
2020 featured an ever-evolving series of national security challenges....
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Sharper: North Korea
For decades, North Korea's authoritarian dictatorship has threatened Northeast Asia's regional stability, challenged U.S. interests, and subjected its own citizens to an unpar...
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Sharper: America's Alliances and Partnerships
Cooperation with allies and partners is vital for achieving U.S. foreign policy goals, especially with respect to global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the sprea...
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Sharper: The Next Four Years
America will face a range of national security challenges over the next four years. From sustaining military deterrence to bolstering the nation's economic leadership and more...
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Sharper: U.S. Strategy in the Middle East
CNAS experts are sharpening the conversation surrounding the future of U.S. strategy in the Middle East....
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Sharper: America's Next Defense Strategy
CNAS experts are sharpening the conversation surrounding the future of America’s defense priorities....
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Sharper: America and the United Nations
The UN is emerging as a key arena for ideological competition as authoritarian actors seek to bend the organization toward illiberalism....
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Sharper: The Next Congress
When the 117th Congress is sworn in next January, legislators have the opportunity to exert substantial influence on the future of America's role in the world....
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Sharper: The Future of U.S. Sanctions Policy
Sanctions are increasingly common in U.S. foreign policy and economic statecraft. But they are not a cure-all....
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Sharper: The China Challenge
The United States and China are competing across economic, diplomatic, military, technological, and ideological spheres....
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Sharper: The 5G Future
5th Generation (5G) telecommunications promises to be a foundational next-generation technology—and vital to enabling the next industrial revolution. The stakes in 5G are high...
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Sharper: America's National Security Workforce
The greatest source of strength in American national security is the people who lead and serve within its institutions. The ongoing U.S. response to the global coronavirus out...
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Sharper: Global Coronavirus Response
Analysis from CNAS experts on the most critical challenges in U.S. foreign policy....
Contributors
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Anna Pederson
Co-Curator
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Shai Korman
Co-Curator
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Emma Swislow
Co-Curator
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Chris Estep
Former Co-Curator
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Cole Stevens
Former Co-Curator
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