Alan Dowd

Alan Dowd

Alan Dowd is a contributing editor with Providence and a senior fellow with the Sagamore Institute, where he leads the Center for America’s Purpose (www.sagamoreinstitute.org/cap).

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Should Human Rights Be on the Table in Korea Talks?
To Meet or Not to Meet? North Korean Interests, Ideals, and Summits

If Trump can somehow cajole or charm Kim into beginning a process that would allow the North Korean people to be treated like people, that would be a win for humanity.

Four Steps to Smother the Chaos in Syria
Four Steps to Smother the Chaos in Syria

Syria—with five million refugees, 500,000 dead, the Pandora’s box of chemical warfare reopened, a cesspool of terror groups, and Russians and Americans, Israelis and Iranians shooting at each other—is the very definition of chaos.

Good Riddance to a Bad Iran Deal
The Return to Reason: A Defense of Trump’s Iran Decision

The core problem with the Iran deal is not in its details, but rather in the nature of Iran.

What a Country: Immigrants Serve US Military Well
What a Country: Immigrants Serve US Military Well

In an era where old debates over immigration are resurfacing, Guor Maker’s only-in-America story is a reminder of how important immigrants are to this nation—and how much they sacrifice to serve and defend their new home.

Al-Qaeda’s First Attack on the World Trade Center: A Quarter-Century of War 1993
Al-Qaeda’s First Attack on the World Trade Center: A Quarter-Century of War

The war Osama bin Laden began 25 years ago—what US military leaders aptly call “the long war”—is far from over.

NATO Compass, Izmir, Turkey
NATO Takes the Fifth

What does NATO need to do going forward? The short answer: more and less.

Pakistan: Pariah or Partner?
Pakistan: Pariah or Partner?

There’s at least one place that likes President Trump so much he’s been awarded a medal for bravery. The honor was bestowed by the people of Logar province, Afghanistan, after he announced that the U.S. would freeze military assistance for Pakistan, due to what he described as a record of “lies and deceit.” The president was right to take this action.

First Casualty of the Second Korean War?
First Casualty of the Second Korean War?

Perhaps the most intriguing—and certainly the most disquieting—section of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was his 475-word overview of the monstrous North Korean regime.

Meager Words and Memories: Remembering the Holocaust - International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Meager Words and Memories: Remembering the Holocaust

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is January 27. It’s an important and necessary day, given our tendency—as Americans and humans—to convince ourselves that history begins around our date of birth, to forget and move on, to think in terms of news cycles and tweets.

Trump’s National Security Strategy and America’s Place in the World
Trump’s National Security Strategy and America’s Place in the World

The purpose of a National Security Strategy (NSS) is to explain how each administration views the security challenges facing the United States—and how it plans to address them. Love it or hate it, President Donald Trump’s NSS does this with often-blunt language and an unapologetic defense of the “America First” approach that shaped his campaign and his first year in office.