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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Misunderstanding Escalation Dynamics with Russia

In the Russo-Ukrainian War, only one side’s actions are labeled as escalatory, and it’s never those of the aggressor.

Britain Imperils Key American Airbase in Indian Ocean

The UK’s new Labour government is already sacrificing Western security interests for the sake of eliminating any last vestiges of the British Empire

Myths Disproven One Year After 10/7

The year that has passed since the atrocities of October 7 has exposed the falsehood of several prominent ideas regarding the conflict in the Middle East

Netanyahu’s Statesmanship Exam

The Israeli leader is faced with the test of a lifetime, one that may determine the future of his nation

America’s 1970s Problems Are Her 2020s Problems

From inflation at home to declining American power abroad, the 2020s are looking a lot like the 1970s

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