Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy

Stephen M. Walt

Foreign Policy

Brookline, MA, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • Foreign Policy
  • Responsible Statecraft

Past articles by Stephen:

The Conversation About Ukraine Is Cracking Apart

What government officials are saying in public, and private, is fascinating—and full of contradictions. → Read More

The Top Five Lessons From Year One of Ukraine’s War

Europe’s brutal conflict has been a harsh but instructive teacher. → Read More

Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?

Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out. → Read More

Congrats, You’re a Member of U.S. Congress. Now Listen Up.

Some brief foreign-policy advice for the newest members of the U.S. legislature. → Read More

Looking Ahead to 2023 by Looking Back

What last year’s foreign-policy events can tell us about this year’s. → Read More

The Realist Guide to World Peace

You don’t have to be an idealist to want to put an end to war. → Read More

The United States Couldn’t Stop Being Stupid if It Wanted To

For Washington, self-imposed restraint will always be a contradiction in terms. → Read More

America's Perpetually Irrational Debate About the War in Ukraine

The war continues to be discussed in ways that are self-serving—and self-defeating. → Read More

Why Governments Go Off the Rails

Even well-meaning leaders can make disastrous policy decisions. → Read More

Russia’s Defeat Would Be America’s Problem

Victory in Ukraine could easily mean hubris in Washington. → Read More

How U.S. Grand Strategy Is Changed by Ukraine

Six months into Russia’s war, seven thinkers outline its impact on foreign policy. → Read More

Why Do People Hate Realism So Much?

The school of thought doesn’t explain everything—but its proponents foresaw the potential for conflict over Ukraine long before it erupted. → Read More

Bad Branding: Another blobby bite at the anti-restraint apple

Unfortunately for establishment critics, the war in Ukraine is making their own case for US primacy less appetizing by the day. → Read More

Will Teaching Aggressors a Lesson Deter Future Wars?

Calls to inflict a decisive defeat on Russia are misguided and won’t necessarily prevent Putin or others from using force. → Read More

What Are Sweden and Finland Thinking?

European leaders have reassessed Russia’s intentions and are balancing against the threat that Putin poses to the territorial status quo. → Read More

Elites Are Getting Nationalism All Wrong

Russia, the United States, and the European Union are each suffering from resulting disasters. → Read More

America Has an Unhealthy Obsession With Credibility

There’s no reason U.S. grand strategy should be so concerned with its own reputation. → Read More

Liberal Illusions Caused the Ukraine Crisis

The greatest tragedy about Russia’s potential invasion is how easily it could have been avoided. → Read More

Looking Back on a Year of Loss in International Relations

A group of influential intellectuals—and personal friends—passed away in 2021. → Read More

Breaking Up Is Bad for the United States

Talk of secession is on the rise among Americans—and already weakening the country. → Read More