OUR PICKSState of Permanent Fake Emergency | Why Does China Care About New York Politics? | The Future of Airpower Is Denial, and more

The Global War on Terror Comes Home to D.C.  (Adam Weinstein, Foreign Policy)
Soldiers are a poor tool for remaking societies.
For two decades of the global war on terror, U.S. troops were tasked with missions far beyond their training. In Iraq and Afghanistan, infantry units became de facto police, conventional soldiers trained local forces, and junior officers were sent to mediate local disputes in societies that they barely understood. Most infamously, they were told to win the “hearts and minds” of communities that did not want them there. Their uniforms and armored vehicles, meant to project strength, instead became barriers to the very goals that they were assigned.
Now, the same is being asked of troops deployed at home. If the global war on terror should have taught Washington anything, it’s that U.S. troops are trained to fight wars and, in the case of the National Guard, to handle fleeting emergencies, not to impose order on complex societies. And the United States is as complex a society as any. Soldiers cannot rebuild communities at home any more than they can remake nations abroad.

Why Is the National Guard in D.C.? Even They Don’t Know.  (Ashley Parker and Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic)
Their presence has terrified some, relieved others, and left even the troops themselves confused.

What We Lose by Distorting the Mission of the National Guard  (Christopher Purdy, The Atlantic)
A compact that has defined the National Guard’s legitimacy for generations is being shattered.

The Enemy That Hegseth and Trump Insist on Honoring  (Mike Nelson, The Atlantic)
The U.S. won the Civil War. So why is the administration so keen on the Confederate side?

Why Does China Care About New York Politics?  (James Palmer, Foreign Policy)
Beijing’s influence efforts can be surprisingly small-scale.

The Future of Airpower Is Denial  (Kelly A. Grieco and Maximilian K. Bremer, Lawfare)
The United States needs a new plan for fighting in contested skies.

No, Trump Can’t Legally Federalize U.S. Elections  (Lily Hay Newman, Wired)
The United States Constitution is clear: President Donald Trump can’t take control of the country’s elections. But he can sow confusion and fear.

State of Permanent Fake Emergency  (Paul Rosenzweig, The Atlantic)
Today, the structure of law granting exceptional emergency powers is a grave threat to democracy and an avenue toward authoritarian rule.