Mike Coté

Mike Coté is a writer and historian focusing on great-power rivalry and geopolitics. He blogs at rationalpolicy.com and hosts the Rational Policy podcast. He’s on Twitter @ratlpolicy. His writing has appeared in Providence, National Review Online, and The Federalist.

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Never Pay the Ransom

Lessons from the British Poet Rudyard Kipling warn of appeasement to aggressors, drawing on the lessons of history

Leaving America’s Back Door Open

The Biden administration’s policy in Latin America has empowered anti-American regimes and endangered national interests.

Conflicts May be Long, But Are Not “Forever Wars” 

The phrase ‘forever war’ conveys the ahistorical and exaggerated premise that, if a war is long, it is therefore unwinnable and not worth fighting. 

The Weakness is the Point in American Foreign Policy

The Biden administration’s weakness abroad is part of a targeted appeal to its progressive base at home

What Does Sweden Joining NATO Mean?

Sweden joining NATO will have immense geopolitical consequences

The Decline of Deterrence

Deterrence is built over decades, but can crumble in an instant. And that instant is now.

The New Progressive-Islamist Alliance

A pernicious coalition of progressives and Islamists has been at the forefront of anti-Israel activism. But this bond is nothing new.

Global Strategy, Regional Tactics

Although the threats to the American-led world order are linked at a strategic level, dealing with each successfully requires different regional tactics.

Steering the Ship of State

The Biden administration and the permanent bureaucracy are chained to an idea of foreign affairs that fails to protect American interests in an era of Great Power conflict.

Breaking the Ice

The Arctic is an increasingly crucial region for 21st century geopolitics, but America is trailing its rivals. Why does the Arctic matter, and how can we catch up?