Author

Michael E. O’Hanlon

MICHAEL E. O’HANLON is a Senior Fellow and Director of Research at the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy Program and the author of The Senkaku Paradox: Risking Great Power War Over Small Stakes.

By this author

The Illusion of Isolationism

Why No One Should Have Expected Trump to Retreat

Michael E. O’Hanlon

January 5, 2026

The Once and Future Transatlantic Alliance

A More Active and Independent Europe Can Bring America Back to the Table

Michael E. O’Hanlon and Paul B. Stares

March 18, 2025

America Failed Its Way to Counterterrorism Success

How a Flawed “War on Terror” Eventually Yielded the Right Approach

Hal Brands and Michael E. O’Hanlon

August 12, 2021

Can America Still Protect Its Allies?

How to Make Deterrence Work

Michael E. O’Hanlon

Sept/Oct 2019

Trump’s $54 Billion Rounding Error

Does His Planned Military Spending Boost Add Up?

Michael E. O’Hanlon

March 1, 2017

America’s Awesome Military

And How to Make It Even Better

Michael E. O’Hanlon and David Petraeus

Sept/Oct 2016

Beyond Air Strikes

The Obama Administration’s Plans for an Iraqi National Guard

Michael E. O’Hanlon

September 12, 2014

How to Win in Iraq

Why Air Strikes Might Not be Enough

Michael E. O’Hanlon

August 12, 2014

Keep Hope Alive

How to Prevent U.S.-Chinese Relations From Blowing Up

James B. Steinberg and Michael E. O’Hanlon

July/Aug 2014

The Obama Defense

What He Gets Right -- and Wrong -- About Foreign Policy

Michael E. O’Hanlon

May 28, 2014

NATO After Crimea

How the Alliance Can Still Deter Russia

Michael E. O’Hanlon

April 17, 2014

A Far Cry From Failure

Michael E. O’Hanlon

Letter Nov/Dec 2013

Land Warriors

Why the United States Should Open More Bases in the Middle East

Michael E. O’Hanlon and Bruce Riedel

July 2, 2013

Scoring Obama’s Foreign Policy

A Progressive Pragmatist Tries to Bend History

Martin Indyk, Kenneth Lieberthal, and Michael E. O'Hanlon

May/June 2012

Libya and the Obama Doctrine

How the United States Won Ugly

Michael E. O’Hanlon

August 31, 2011

Winning Ugly in Libya

What the United States Should Learn From Its War in Kosovo

Michael E. O’Hanlon

March 30, 2011

Staying Power

The U.S. Mission in Afghanistan Beyond 2011

Michael E. O’Hanlon

Sept/Oct 2010

Star Wars Retreats?

Rethinking U.S. Missile Defense in Europe

Michael E. O’Hanlon

September 23, 2009

How to Leave a Stable Iraq

Building on Progress

Stephen Biddle, Michael E. O’Hanlon, and Kenneth M. Pollack

Sept/Oct 2008

Clinton’s Strong Defense Legacy

Michael E. O’Hanlon

Nov/Dec 2003

A Flawed Masterpiece

Michael E. O’Hanlon

May/June 2002

Come Partly Home, America: How to Downsize U.S. Deployments Abroad

Michael E. O’Hanlon

Mar/Apr 2001

Star Wars Strikes Back

Michael E. O’Hanlon

Nov/Dec 1999

Making Foreign Aid Work

Carol Graham and Michael O'Hanlon

July/Aug 1997