@kschake
Leads AEI’s foreign and defense team, author of The State and the Soldier, contributing writer at The Atlantic. 2025-2026 Kissinger Chair at the Library of Congress. Californian. https://www.aei.org/profile/kori-schake/
Unpopular position of the day: The use of JAG lawyers as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys does *not* violate the Posse Comitatus Act—because, as a 2017 brief of mine explained (see note 7) Congress has *expressly* authorized military lawyers to represent the United States in civil or criminal cases:
It’s no secret that investigative journalism is on life support. The economics of the profession, always shaky, have become increasingly untenable. If you enjoyed this, or any of my other work, and are looking for a full-time editor or writer, get in touch!
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Percentage of the moment: 37%
(That's the percentage of all global web traffic generated by "malicious bots.")
www.statista.com/chart/35950/...
Monday is the best day to be a fellow at the Library of Congress’ Kluge Center, because it’s closed to visitors so Washington’s most beautiful and inspiring building can be wandered in serenity.
I’m appreciative the Administration is narrowing its objectives to things that are militarily achievable. That gives an exit strategy, which they otherwise didn’t have.
Great how Europe is redeploying some of its best equipment away from Russia to deal with a crisis created by our "security guarantor."
Honor the dead
It’s too easy to go to war
"Contrary to popular belief, rules of engagement are not some legal or ethical nicety (although crafting effective rules of engagement lean on both disciplines). Rather, rules of engagement are first and foremost an expression of strategy."
“The war with Iran is little more than the joint targeting process unleashed. The Frankenstein’s monster that is the operational level of war, unsatiated after eating strategy, is now feasting on policy”. @bafriedman.bsky.social
“It is becoming increasingly hard to avoid the conclusion that the Trump administration has embarked on this operation without a plan, and is making it up as it goes along, as if they killed enough of the right people and destroyed enough Iranian assets everything would fall into place.”
The Pentagon can likely get away with using OpenAI’s technology for mass surveillance of Americans under the terms of their contract, legal experts told @matteowong.bsky.social.
He declared all of Lake's actions over the past year to be null and void, including the layoffs of more than 1,000 journalists and staffers. n.pr/4sy0uhE
this sort of rhetorical flourish by FDR in 1942 -- recognizing that soldiers represent so much more than war fighting, that they are a cross section of the country itself -- reads like it's written in a foreign language in 2026, the year of "relentless lethality"
Donald Trump is pointing to missions in Iran “as if the excellence with which they have been conducted somehow constitutes a strategy in itself,” @radiofreetom.bsky.social argues.
Just over a month left to apply for the Clara Marina O'Donnell fellowship - a great opportunity for any early-career researcher interested in European security and Europe's place in the world. Spread the word in your networks, #AcademicBlueSky!
At a minimum, this should open up the spigots of US support to Ukraine so Russia loses the war it caused.
Screen shot of CNBC story headlined, “Trump says no deal with Iran to end war without ‘unconditional surrender'” published 6 March 2026 by Dan Mangan.
In my research on Admiral King and his influence on JCS decision making in WWII, one thing that leapt out was his regret of a public announcement of unconditional surrender because of how it constrained the Allied approach to war termination.
One can only wonder that he would think of this.
With the President declaring that the war only ends with “unconditional surrender”, Congress absolutely needs to be part of the decision-making. Not weighing in at this point is an abdication of its constitutional responsibilities.
1/6
Xinhua: "China targets an economic growth of 4.5 percent to 5 percent this year."
While this is the lowest target in decades, it's still roughly twice what I think the economy can sustainably deliver without a lot more more non-productive investment.
english.news.cn/20260305/d0f...
"If a major burden shift is likely, Britain and its neighbours can try to negotiate a Fulton-in-reverse, receiving back the baton, but in an orderly, stable and gradual way, creating a less American, not a post-American Europe."
For @economist.com subscribers, my Inside Defence episode with Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe, is now out: www.economist.com/insider/insi...
Last night, I spoke to former Army Pfc. Jeremy Watson who said this about Capt. Cody Khork: “[he] enjoyed being in the service…and was a great coach,” who taught him “Compassion, friendship, loyalty…[and] to always try to stay positive when you can.”
This is what “regime change” means for Trump. No freedom for the Venezuelan, no democratic vote, just leave the old dictatorial system in place with most of the same people.
These quotes are actually very revealing about modern American civil-military relations
"Russia has failed at much since it began its full-scale invasion in Ukraine, but it has had some success in creating the narrative that its victory in Ukraine is but a matter of time," historian Lawrence Freedman writes: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/o...
Lastly, they are for the soul of your nation and your cause. Limits on war preserve humanity. Mercy transcends violence. After the fighting, there has to be something more. Rules of engagement and the laws of armed conflict protect you; abandoning them is dire.
I know that the people who need to read this aren’t here, but here goes:
Rules of engagement aren’t for the enemy. They’re for you. They’re for your soldiers when they’re captured or wounded. They’re for your civilians when they’re in range of the enemy. They’re for your allies, to reassure.
