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.

All Author Content

Author Articles

Author Podcasts

Author Videos

Mutual Disarmament Treaties Are a Losing Game

The idea of mutual-disarmament has been discredited by history and should not be embraced in today’s geopolitical environment

Only Credible Deterrence Can Assure Lasting Peace

Ending conflicts is all well and good, but only if the peace is durable, reasonable, and within the national interest

America Shouldn’t Shy Away from Buying Greenland

Contra the critics, purchasing Greenland would be a boon, not a boondoggle, for America’s economy and national security

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.