Max Boot
CFR fellow, WaPo columnist. Pulitzer finalist for biography. REAGAN: HIS LIFE AND LEGEND: NYT bestseller & NYT 10 best books of 2024. Writing John McCain bio.
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Articles by Max Boot
What the Abu Dhabi Talks Did—and Didn’t—Achieve
Trilateral talks on the war in Ukraine took place between U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian negotiators this week in Abu Dhabi. The talks—the first since February—ended with no major breakthroughs and came against the backdrop of continuing attacks by Russia and Ukraine. The two countries did, however, announce they had agreed in principle to a prisoner exchange, with the numbers to be finalized on Thursday.
Trump is discovering that ‘dollar diplomacy’ doesn’t work
Trump is discovering that ‘dollar diplomacy’ doesn’t work (washingtonpost.com) Trump is discovering that ‘dollar diplomacy’ doesn’t work By Max Boot 2026101213290400 As President Donald Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff negotiate an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, they are also working with the Kremlin to sell $20 billion in international assets owned by the Russian oil company Lukoil to a group of investors that includes their own business partners.
We’ve left Iraq. But we haven’t learned its lessons.
We’ve left Iraq. But we haven’t learned its lessons. (washingtonpost.com) We’ve left Iraq. But we haven’t learned its lessons. By Max Boot 2026100510010500 I supported the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, convinced that it would lead to greater democratization in the Middle East. We all know how that worked out. Since then, I don't have a lot of certainties about the world in general, and the Middle East in particular.
More Oil, Same War: Why Increased Exports Aren’t a Sign of Iran’s Collapse
Council on Foreign Relations Founded in 1921, CFR is a nonpartisan, independent national membership organization, think tank, educator, and publisher.
Iran destroys a fundamental U.S. military assumption
Iran destroys a fundamental U.S. military assumption (washingtonpost.com) Iran destroys a fundamental U.S. military assumption By Max Boot 2026092811011000 In one respect, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a game changer. But in another way it wasn't. By sinking or damaging the U.S. Navy's battleships on Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese forced the United States to rely instead on aircraft carriers.
What Trump doesn’t seem to realize about Xi Jinping
What Trump doesn’t seem to realize about Xi Jinping (washingtonpost.com) What Trump doesn’t seem to realize about Xi Jinping By Max Boot 2026092110010500 President Donald Trump's second term has been notable for some head-spinning changes in U.S. foreign policy. Who could have predicted that Trump would launch a cold war with Canada and a love-in with the Chavista regime in Venezuela? But in many ways, Trump's most important transformation has been from China hawk to China dove.
Trump and Putin are both wrong: They can’t win their wars
Trump and Putin are both wrong: They can’t win their wars (washingtonpost.com) Trump and Putin are both wrong: They can’t win their wars By Max Boot 2026091410011700 There is no moral comparison between Ukraine and Iran: The former is a liberal democracy, the latter a vicious dictatorship whose rulers kill their own people to stay in power.
Putin receives a tacit invite to a far more dangerous confrontation
Putin receives a tacit invite to a far more dangerous confrontation (washingtonpost.com) Putin receives a tacit invite to a far more dangerous confrontation By Max Boot 2026090710010600 The Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin probably did not utter the maxim often attributed to him: "Probe with bayonets. If you encounter mush, proceed; if you encounter steel, withdraw." But it's an accurate description of Russian President Vladimir Putin's methodology.
Hegseth chose loyalty over leadership — and has crippled the military
Hegseth chose loyalty over leadership — and has crippled the military (washingtonpost.com) Hegseth chose loyalty over leadership — and has crippled the military By Max Boot 2026083110310100 It was obvious from the start that appointing Pete Hegseth — a former Fox News weekend host — as secretary of defense was a spectacularly bad idea: He was, by far, the least qualified person ever to lead the Pentagon.
Trump’s bullying has backfired
Whatever else you may say about him, President Donald Trump is a consummate salesman. As former House speaker Newt Gingrich once noted to me, the former real estate tycoon did a brilliant job with his campaign slogan: It wasn’t “Trump for President”; it was “Make America Great Again.” Despite his outsize ego, he kept the focus on the country, not on his own ambition. But Trump’s normally deft marketing touch has deserted him during his second term.
I’m a hawk. I’m shocked by a $1.5 trillion defense budget.
I’m a hawk. I’m shocked by a $1.5 trillion defense budget. (washingtonpost.com) I’m a hawk. I’m shocked by a $1.5 trillion defense budget. By Max Boot 2026081714190100 As a defense hawk, I've long been in favor of more military spending — up to and including when the defense budget hit $1 trillion this year. But I'm experiencing real sticker shock at the Trump administration's $1.5 trillion request for next year.
Zelensky erred. Ukrainians showed how a civil society works.
Zelensky erred. Ukrainians showed how a civil society works. (washingtonpost.com) Zelensky erred. Ukrainians showed how a civil society works. By Max Boot 2026072010310900 Of the leaders in the world's nearly 200 countries, there is none that I admire as much as Volodymyr Zelensky. He has been a profile in courage with few equals since the days of Winston Churchill.
Trump’s Iran Deal Has Collapsed, Leaving the U.S. With Few Good Options
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media at the end of his participation in the NATO leaders summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 8, 2026. After Iran’s attacks on merchant shipping killed the ceasefire, Trump said he would reimpose the U.S. blockade and resume airstrikes. But with no military path to regime change and the war already deeply unpopular at home, the president faces the same strategic dilemmas that have defined the conflict from the start.
How to interpret Trump’s head-spinning pivots on Iran and Russia
How to interpret Trump’s head-spinning pivots on Iran and Russia (washingtonpost.com) How to interpret Trump’s head-spinning pivots on Iran and Russia By Max Boot 2026071310160100 President Donald Trump is not exactly known as a model of consistency, but, even by his standards, he executed two head-spinning U-turns at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, last week — one on Iran, the other on Ukraine.
Strait of Hormuz Traffic Faced a Long Road to Recovery. Now the Iran Deal Is Unraveling.
The fragile U.S.-Iran cease-fire appeared to be in danger on Wednesday as the two sides exchanged fresh strikes and President Donald Trump threatened to end the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). U.S. forces attacked targets in Iran and the White House reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales on Tuesday. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by firing at U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
After 50 years as an American, here’s what I have
After 50 years as an American, here’s what I have (washingtonpost.com) After 50 years as an American, here’s what I have By Max Boot 2026070611010200 America's 250th anniversary arrived just after I marked a more personal milestone: my 50th year as an American. I left the Soviet Union with my divorced mother and widowed grandmother in December 1975. After a few months in Vienna and Rome, we arrived in Los Angeles on April 28, 1976, shortly before the bicentennial celebrations. I was 6 years old.
Was It Worth It? The True Cost of Trump’s Iran War
Max Boot is a historian, bestselling author, and foreign-policy analyst. His latest book, a biography of Ronald Reagan titled Reagan: His Life and Legend, is his third New York Times bestseller. With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Wednesday, the Iran war is over, at least for now. The full ramifications are not yet obvious.
I was wrong about the Knicks, and I’m giddy with joy
I was wrong about the Knicks, and I’m giddy with joy (washingtonpost.com) I was wrong about the Knicks, and I’m giddy with joy By Max Boot 2026061414030300 NEW YORK — Normally it's painful to admit you were wrong, but I am practically giddy with joy as I admit that I was wrong — oh, so wrong! — to protest the firing of Tom Thibodeau as coach of the New York Knicks slightly more than a year ago.
Trump struggles to end an Iran war he never should have started
Trump struggles to end an Iran war he never should have started (washingtonpost.com) Trump struggles to end an Iran war he never should have started By Max Boot 2026060811010200 On May 23, President Donald Trump said a deal to end the war with Iran was almost finalized and would be "announced shortly." Yet more than two weeks later no deal has been unveiled, and U.S. and Iranian forces continue to exchange fire regularly.
Trump is taking a wrecking ball to U.S. alliances around the world
Trump is taking a wrecking ball to U.S. alliances around the world (washingtonpost.com) Trump is taking a wrecking ball to U.S. alliances around the world By Max Boot 2026060111010300 The "secret sauce" of American power in the post-1945 era has been the country's network of alliances. The Soviet Union had satrapies in Eastern Europe, but few real friends. Russia doesn't even have satellite states anymore, aside from Belarus. It does have an increasingly warm but still wary relationship with China.
Netanyahu’s effort to remake the Middle East is backfiring
Netanyahu’s effort to remake the Middle East is backfiring (washingtonpost.com) Netanyahu’s effort to remake the Middle East is backfiring By Max Boot 2026052511010300 "First of all let us rid ourselves of the foolish error that with the Army alone we can maintain the security of the State," warned Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, in 1951.
The Iran War’s Hard Lessons
The war with Iran has revealed the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. defense establishment and suggests how the U.S. armed forces can be reshaped to fight the wars of the future. Specifically, the war has laid bare a number of vulnerabilities that urgently need to be addressed in order to prepare for conflicts against adversaries even more dangerous than Iran.
What armchair generals get wrong about Iran
What armchair generals get wrong about Iran (washingtonpost.com) What armchair generals get wrong about Iran By Max Boot 2026051810460400 President Donald Trump predictably returned from his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping without having secured help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Now Trump must figure out how to exit a war he touted as lasting "four to five weeks" that is in its third month. Lots of armchair generals are telling him to "finish the job" by returning to bombing Iran.
What a former CIA analyst reveals about a potential China fight
What a former CIA analyst reveals about a potential China fight (washingtonpost.com) What a former CIA analyst reveals about a potential China fight By Max Boot 2026051110010300 John Culver is one of the world's foremost authorities on the Chinese military, a subject he began studying as a CIA analyst in 1985. From 2015 to 2018, he served as national intelligence officer for East Asia. Since retiring from the CIA in 2020, he has been a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Trump’s Project Freedom Isn’t Going to Open the Strait of Hormuz
Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States would launch an operation to help tankers and cargo ships trapped in the Persian Gulf transit the waterway. Two U.S. destroyers entered the Persian Gulf on Monday, and two U.S.-flagged commercial ships exited it.
The Trump administration ramps up its lawlessness on the seas
The Trump administration ramps up its lawlessness on the seas (washingtonpost.com) The Trump administration ramps up its lawlessness on the seas By Max Boot 2026050410010900 When the U.S. armed forces began blowing up suspected "drug boats" on Sept. 2, 2025, it was widely seen as a way not just to fight the war on drugs but also to put pressure on Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, who was in league with drug traffickers.
The Trump-class battleships are a waste of time and money
Given all the well-regarded generals and admirals sacked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in his political purges, it’s hard to work up much sympathy for the latest Pentagon casualty: Navy Secretary John Phelan. He is a billionaire investor and major donor to President Donald Trump who had no business getting the job in the first place.
The Trump-class battleships are a waste of time and money
The Trump-class battleships are a waste of time and money (washingtonpost.com) The Trump-class battleships are a waste of time and money By Max Boot 2026042710160300 Given all the well-regarded generals and admirals sacked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in his political purges, it's hard to work up much sympathy for the latest Pentagon casualty: Navy Secretary John Phelan.
An ‘Open for Open’ Hormuz Deal Could Break the Iran Stalemate
Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Talks to end the war with Iran appear to be hopelessly stalled. But there is a way forward if the United States agrees to pare down its immediate demands to focus on the most important issue confronting the world: the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas.
Trump says Cuba will be ‘next.’ Here’s what he doesn’t get.
Trump says Cuba will be ‘next.’ Here’s what he doesn’t get. (washingtonpost.com) Trump says Cuba will be ‘next.’ Here’s what he doesn’t get. By Max Boot 2026042010010400 More than two months before President Donald Trump announced that the Navy would interdict shipping to and from Iranian ports, he quietly launched a blockade of fuel shipments to Cuba.
Coercing Iran: Why Trump’s Hormuz Blockade Has a Short Fuse
This was a curious reaction to the failed reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after last week’s ceasefire announcement. Despite the pause in fighting, only a handful of ships were able to transit the strait while it remained under de facto Iranian control.
The Iran ceasefire was a TACO Tuesday, and thank goodness
The Iran ceasefire was a TACO Tuesday, and thank goodness (washingtonpost.com) The Iran ceasefire was a TACO Tuesday, and thank goodness By Max Boot 2026040820550400 Tuesday was one of the more bizarre days in U.S. diplomatic history.
Ukraine’s drone army has done the incredible
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The Iran Conflict Is Becoming a Russia-Ukraine Proxy War
Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. KYIV, Ukraine — It has become common for major conflicts to become proxy wars, with outside powers intervening to help their friends and hurt their foes. The Soviet Union, for example, supplied North Korea and North Vietnam in wars against the United States. The United States returned the favor by supplying the Afghan mujahideen during the 1980s in their war against the Red Army.
The Strategy Gap in Iran, With Max Boot
Max Boot, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to analyze what tactical and strategic lessons can be drawn from the U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran. Mentioned on the Episode: Alexander Ward, Lara Seligman, Alex Leary, and Vera Bergengruen, “Trump Knew the Risk of Iran Blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. military’s greatest weakness in Iran is one it can’t fix
The U.S. military’s greatest weakness in Iran is one it can’t fix (washingtonpost.com) The U.S. military’s greatest weakness in Iran is one it can’t fix By Max Boot 2026031611020300 "War is the great auditor of institutions." So wrote the British military historian Correlli Barnett. What, then, does the war with Iran reveal about the state of U.S. military power? The first, and most obvious, lesson is the potency of U.S. precision-strike capabilities. Since the start of Operation Epic Fury on Feb.
There are two winners in Iran. Neither one is America.
There are two winners in Iran. Neither one is America. (washingtonpost.com) There are two winners in Iran. Neither one is America. By Max Boot 2026030911170400 The Middle East first came to dominate U.S. defense policy in the 1970s — the decade of the Arab oil embargo, the Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Trump Should Take the U.S. Military’s Warning on Iran Seriously
The ultimate nightmare would be if Iran were able to temporarily close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important commercial arteries (about 20 percent of global oil consumption flows through the strait), thereby spiking global oil prices. Iran refrained from such action in June because U.S. and Israeli strikes were concentrated on its nuclear facilities and missile forces; Iran launched only one small, symbolic strike against a .
The U.S. is sleepwalking into war with Iran. Trump won’t explain why.
The U.S. is sleepwalking into war with Iran. Trump won’t explain why. (washingtonpost.com) The U.S. is sleepwalking into war with Iran. Trump won’t explain why. By Max Boot 2026022311011100 The U.S. military has assembled a formidable armada in the Middle East, including two aircraft carrier strike groups and dozens of additional aircraft. It is the largest array of U.S. warplanes in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. All signs suggest that military action against Iran could be imminent.
Even far-right foreign leaders are getting sick of Trump’s meddling
Even far-right foreign leaders are getting sick of Trump’s meddling (washingtonpost.com) Even far-right foreign leaders are getting sick of Trump’s meddling By Max Boot 2026021612010200 President Donald Trump trashes so many norms that it's easy to overlook how outlandish some of his actions are. Take his habit of formally endorsing candidates in other countries' elections.
Even far-right foreign leaders are getting sick of Trump’s meddling
4 hours ago French President Macron and Brazilian leader Lula expected to attend summit aimed to outline global AI governance and collaboration. India is hosting an artificial intelligence summit this week, bringing together heads of state and tech executives with hot-button issues on the agenda, including job …
Trump’s alleged fear of the ICC reflects the company he’s in
Trump’s alleged fear of the ICC reflects the company he’s in (washingtonpost.com) Trump’s alleged fear of the ICC reflects the company he’s in By Max Boot 2026020911310200 President Donald Trump's contempt for the rule of law in America — and the judges who enforce it — is by now well-established.
America is alienating what could become a superpower
America is alienating what could become a superpower (washingtonpost.com) America is alienating what could become a superpower By Max Boot 2026020211320400 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, in his now-famous speech at the Davos conference, issued a stirring call for the "middle powers" to protect their own interests at a time when the great powers are running roughshod over the "rules-based international order." Recent examples include not only Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's...
Americans may come to regret alienating the ‘mighty middle powers’
6 hours ago Gold and silver prices have continued to fall after a dramatic reversal of a rally that had pushed precious metals to record highs. Spot gold prices fell nearly 10% at one point while silver slumped by 15% before both metals recovered some ground. Prices had hit fresh records in January as investors …
Trump’s Board of Peace is already floundering
Trump’s Board of Peace is already floundering (washingtonpost.com) Trump’s Board of Peace is already floundering By Max Boot 2026012611320300 President Donald Trump is often accused of being a warmonger and a rogue leader who acts in defiance of international law and global opinion. His menacing plan (abandoned for now) to seize Greenland from Denmark, the "easy way" or the "hard way," shows why that characterization has become so widely accepted outside his MAGA base.
Assessing Venezuela’s Future After Nicolás Maduro’s Bold Capture
U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife after weeks of mounting military pressure on Venezuela. The regime leader has been removed from Venezuela, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said he would face drug and weapons charges in the Southern District of New York.
Trump and Zelensky talk peace while Putin wages war
Trump and Zelensky talk peace while Putin wages war (washingtonpost.com) Trump and Zelensky talk peace while Putin wages war By Max Boot 2025122914565300 After their meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traded happy talk about the state of peace negotiations in Ukraine. "We have made a lot of progress on ending that war," Trump said.
Trump’s incoherent foreign policy defies explanation
Trump’s incoherent foreign policy defies explanation (washingtonpost.com) Trump’s incoherent foreign policy defies explanation By Max Boot 2025111012154100 Is President Donald Trump a peacemaker or a warmonger? An interventionist or an isolationist? The answer is: yes. He contains multitudes, and it's nearly impossible to sort out or explain the disparate strands of his foreign policy. Any coherence imposed on Trump's often self-contradictory approach is largely an artificial construct.
Why is Trump politicizing the military? Ask the fired generals.
Why is Trump politicizing the military? Ask the fired generals. (washingtonpost.com) Why is Trump politicizing the military? Ask the fired generals. By Max Boot 2025110312000300 There are too many scandals to count in the Trump administration, but one of the most significant isn't getting the attention it deserves. I refer to efforts by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to politicize the armed forces and to turn them into instruments of their MAGA agenda.
Trump is circling Maduro. This points to a dark history.
Trump is circling Maduro. This points to a dark history. (washingtonpost.com) Trump is circling Maduro. This points to a dark history. By Max Boot 2025102711001200 The United States has a long record of fomenting regime change in Latin America, whether under the rubric of the Monroe Doctrine in the 19th and early 20th centuries or the fight against communism during the Cold War.
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