Veterans Benefits
The PACT Act: VA Benefits for Veterans Exposed to Toxins
The PACT Act of 2022 expands VA disability pay and health care for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, radiation, and other military toxins. The…
Foreign Policy and National Security
Foreign policy is how the United States deals with other countries. National security is how it protects the country from threats. The two overlap in diplomacy, the military, intelligence, trade, and homeland protection. The president, Congress, federal agencies, and the courts share the work, and allies, rivals, and international bodies shape the choices available.
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October 19last updated
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Referenced by Brookings, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, Pew Research, Snopes, The Hill and USA Today.
The Webby-recognized AI behind our articles »
Latest in Foreign Policy and National Security
Counterterrorism Operations
How U.S. Counterterrorism Works
See how NCTC, FBI, DHS, CIA, NSA and the military divide counterterrorism duties, and how they coordinate under the laws that govern them.
Military Structure and Branches
Who’s Actually in Charge of the U.S. Military?
The U.S. military chain of command runs president, Secretary of Defense, then combatant commanders, and troops must refuse illegal orders.
Extradition
Without a Treaty, Why the Karachi Consulate Shooting Is Hard to Prosecute
Ten people are dead in Karachi. Everyone knows who pulled the trigger. The question is whether any court on Earth has the authority to do anything…
Topics in Foreign Policy and National Security
Diplomacy and law
Relations with other governments are covered in International Relations, the rules that bind nations in International Law, and the way decisions get made in Foreign Policy Process.
International Relations
82 articles
- Can a President Let a Senate-Ratified Treaty Expire Without Congressional Approval?
- What Withdrawing From 66 International Bodies Changed
- International Space Station Operations Depend on Treaties From the 1990s
Military and intelligence
The armed forces are the subject of Defense and Military, secret information gathering is covered in Intelligence, and the country's obligations to those who served are in Veterans Policy.
Defense and Military
224 articles
- Can Military Members Refuse Orders? The Law Is More Complex Than You Think
- Congress Funds NASA and SpaceX Differently. Here’s Why That Matters.
- Does US Aid to Israel Buy Influence Over Its Border Policy?
Tools of pressure
Trade and money as foreign policy weapons are covered in Economic Statecraft, and the place of rights and self-government abroad is in Human Rights and Democracy.
Threats and change
Dangers that cross borders appear in Global Security Challenges, fast-moving concerns in Emerging Issues, and protection at home in Public Safety.
Global Security Challenges
28 articles
- Fifty Years of U.S.-Russia Arms Control Treaties Have Ended
- Without a Treaty, How Does the U.S. Track Russia’s Nuclear Arsenal?
- What the End of New START Means for Nuclear War Risk
All Articles on Foreign Policy and National Security
‘Imminent Threat’ Has No Legal Definition. Here’s Why That Matters.
Search the entire text of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and you will not find a definition of "imminent threat." The phrase appears…
A Tomahawk Costs $2 Million. Here’s Who Gets Paid to Replace It.
Estimates from Anadolu news agency put the first 24 hours of Operation Epic Fury at approximately $779 million. That number dominated the headlines. The…
Defense Stocks and Weapons Deals After the Iran Strikes
See what defense contractors gained after the Iran strikes, how stock moves differ from awards and profits, and what taxpayers can verify.
The Diplomatic and Policy Timeline Leading Up to Operation Epic Fury
Trace the final U.S.-Iran talks, nuclear evidence, White House decision and congressional response behind Operation Epic Fury, with what remains unresolved.
Why NATO’s Article 5 Doesn’t Cover US Bases in the Persian Gulf
Roughly 10,000 American service members are stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a country that sits outside the geographic zone where NATO's…
Did Announcing War on Truth Social Satisfy the War Powers Resolution?
Learn why a presidential social post is not a War Powers report, what Congress received, how the 60-day rule works, and where the Iran conflict stands.
Does Fighting Alongside an Ally Require Separate Congressional Approval?
Air raid sirens wailed across Israeli cities at 8:15 a.m. On February 28, 2026, as the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes…
Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act: What Congress Intended It to Cover
Not during the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s, not during the 1997 Asian financial crisis that spread across the region, not during…
Inside the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court That Oversees Section 702
That court, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, reviews every aspect of Section 702 surveillance—the government submits its surveillance rules for approval once a year.…
Why Congress Keeps Fighting Over the Same Surveillance Law Every Few Years
The Trump administration wants Congress to renew Section 702—a surveillance law that lets intelligence agencies collect Americans' communications without a warrant—before April 20, 2026.…