Since the birth of our nation, our military has risked countless lives to protect our rights and freedoms. While the men and women of our military have endured these difficulties for us, we have often forgotten about our servicemen at the end of their duties and have left them to be on their own. With the inception of post-traumatic stress disorder, the public became aware of one of the great concerns that our military faces once they have returned home, but unfortunately, nothing has really been done to help prevent this - until now.

Iran's rejection of the nuclear deal offered by the United States, Russia, and EU, in which most of its enriched nuclear material would be shipped abroad for rendering into fuel for medical purposes, has forced the US to once again bring the specter of sanctions to the table.

During the Cold War, U.S. nuclear weapons served the invaluable purpose of deterring the conventionally superior Soviet Union. Under the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), the overwhelming destruction that would be caused by nuclear use and the ensuing retaliation prevented either side from using nuclear weapons. Today, however, the times are a changin.

The most recent post on this blog by Greg Sanders refers to some historical and current comparisons as far as the kinds of goals we should be seeking in Afghanistan, which will help us (more importantly, the President) determine the best course of action to take.  It is an important part of policy to take full account of historical and cultural importances and differences in the decision making process.  However, in doing, so we must be careful on what interpretations of history we are examining.

As the administration works to formulate a new strategy for Afghanistan, popular and elite support appears to be dropping off and a string of attacks makes the stakes all too clear.

Bombings, shootings, and kidnappings are becoming increasingly commonplace in Pakistan, a fact that is best highlighted by yet another Taliban bombing in Peshawar yesterday that has so far left over 100 people dead. As stability and security in Pakistan continue to deteriorate, some have come to question the integrity of the Pakistani state as a whole, and whether or not this is the beginning of a gradual disintegration of the country.

The Chinese equivalent of Secretary of Defense, General Xu Caihou was here at CSIS this morning. His speech laid out a forward looking defense process the Chinese had just completed, the equivalent of our Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).

The Obama administration announced earlier this week that it had achieved a breakthrough with the Iranian government and reached an agreement over its nuclear program. But in the days between then and now, Iran's Deputy Speaker of Parliament declared the Geneva agreement unacceptable.

With the advent of smartphones and other technological advancements, we've begun to enjoy a plethora of tools that enable us to find nearby restaurants, communicate with people around the world and even keep track of our friends and family members. These are ingenious applications but for the most part are used mostly for convenience.

After the 9/11 attacks, Americans were willing to give up nearly any (privacy) rights our forefathers had laid down centuries before to ensure that such a catastrophic event would not occur on US soil ever again. With that in mind, the government established the Patriot Act which permitted certain agencies to access information on individuals within the country that include telecommunication, financial and credit records.