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From the SitRoom to the E-Ring, the inside scoop on defense, national security and foreign policy. | | | | |  | | By Daniel Lippman, Alexander Ward and Matt Berg | | 
The bimonthly magazine housed in the Center for the National Interest had a nearly four-decade run as a leading national security product. | The National Interest via Wikimedia Commons | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Matt FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY —The National Interest, a prominent journal run by a right-leaning foreign policy think tank, is shutting down its print edition after running into severe financial problems, according to four current and former magazine staffers familiar with the matter. The bimonthly magazine housed in the Center for the National Interest had a nearly four-decaderun as a leading national security product, publishing such seminal works as FRANCIS FUKUYAMA’s “End of History” essay. But current editorial management was unwilling to incur debts to keep the print edition alive, according to one of the people, though the publication will continue for now as a website. Circulation for the hard copy was already down to a couple thousand s, a drop from almost 10,000 in the 1990s, according to a current magazine staffer. The people were granted anonymity to candidly discuss internal matters at the magazine and think tank. s have not yet been notified that there won’t be any new print issues following its November/December edition, according to the same staffer, although the magazine’s subscription page currently says in bold and underlined: “We are no longer accepting new s to The National Interest.” The shuttering of the print edition hasn’t been communicated to all board members of the think tank, with some saying that they were unaware the print product was no more. PAUL SAUNDERS , a center board member who is helping the think tank manage its operations as an unpaid volunteer, said the print magazine was “quite costly and had orders of magnitude less visibility than the website” and that the website is “much easier to sustain and improve without a print magazine.” “[N]ot uncommonly for a non-profit public policy magazine, The National Interest operated at a loss in almost every year since its acquisition by the Center for the National Interest in 2001 and probably since its founding in 1985,” Saunders said in a statement. “The Center supported the magazine’s print and online operations, at great cost, throughout that period and produced a highly regarded product that attracted many prominent authors.” It’s unclear if the magazine, which was started in 1985 by neoconservative intellectual IRVING KRISTOL,will survive in an online-only form. “TNI has always been the place for a real debate in Washington — and I hope it can surmount its time of troubles with the board’s stalwart support,” JACOB HEILBRUNN, the editor of The National Interest, said in a statement. The think tank has long had financial issues, according to current and former staffers and a review of public documents. According to tax filings, it operated at a loss of $1 million to $2 million in every year from 2016 to 2020, except in 2019, when it made $300,000 in profit. DIMITRI SIMES,a longtime Russia expert who provided advice on the country to DONALD TRUMP during his 2016 campaign, was CEO of the center until heretired on Dec. 31 at the age of 75, as he had long planned.He made around $400,000 a year despite the think tank’s financial troubles, but voluntarily stopped receiving a salary at the end of October, according to Saunders. Simes departed after nearly 30 years in charge without the think tank’s chair, DREW GUFF, naming a replacement. Saunders said Simes had not sought or received a raise or a bonus from the think tank’s board since late 2017, “resulting in a significant decrease in his annual compensation.” Three current and former magazine staffers and another person familiar with the magazine and the center complained about Simes’ focus on hosting a television show on Russian state-run TV. Simes had further caused controversies for the center for espousing increasingly pro-Russian rhetoric, according to seven people familiar with the center. Last month, Simes said on Russian TV that VLADIMIR PUTIN’s February speech announcing the invasion of Ukraine was “worthy of Churchill.” In 2020, Putin wrote an article for The National Interest about the “real lessons” of the 75th anniversary of World War II. Simes’ views, seen as more toxic since the invasion, and the organization’s shaky finances, compelled some staffers to leave the think tank, according to two people familiar with the center. “The Ukraine positions he had taken were not supported by anyone” affiliated with the center, said one prominent board member. DOV ZAKHEIM , a top Defense Department official in the second Bush administration, resigned from the board in May after Simes continued to visit Russia and appear on state TV after the invasion, according to another person familiar with the matter. Zakheim declined to comment. Simes did not respond to requests for comment. Now, the center is down to about five total staffers — of whom four are dedicated to the magazine’s website — from around 20 several years ago. Two people familiar with the matter said that the board of directors, whose honorary chair is HENRY KISSINGER, hasn’t formally met in several years, although some board members have been recently discussing a succession plan to replace Simes. Saunders said “many” board members have been helping the think tank in recent weeks and that he is “confident that it will remain not only viable but an important organization, albeit at a smaller size for now.”
| | | NO CEASEFIRE IN SIGHT: It appears as though the ceasefire Putin declared yesterday isn’t having its intended effect, The New York Times’ MEGAN SPECIA reports. Gunshots rang throughout Bakhmut on Friday, exchanges of shelling that the Russian defense ministry said were in self-defense due to attacks from Ukrainian troops. Putin ordered the 36-hour ceasefire on Thursday at the request of the Russian Orthodox Church to observe Orthodox Christmas, though Ukrainian officials denounced it as a “cynical trap” and an “element of propaganda.” Experts believe the ceasefire could be an attempt by the Kremlin to buy Russian troops time to regroup and relaunch offensives in eastern Ukraine, while also gaining support back home. DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON’T: The Biden administration is struggling to figure out how to respond to new Taliban restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan without rupturing the limited relationship the U.S. has with ruling Islamists, our own NAHAL TOOSI reported. The discussion among administration officials is fluid and positions have varied depending on the proposed penalties, a current administration official and a former U.S. official familiar with the talks said. Those proposals include new economic sanctions and tighter bans on Taliban leaders’ travels abroad, as well as limiting certain types of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. The debate has pitted TOM WEST, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, against RINA AMIRI, the U.S. special envoy for Afghan women, girls and human rights, officials said. West is wary of going too far in isolating the Taliban, with whom the U.S. tries to cooperate on counterterrorism, while Amiri wants to get tougher on them as they try to erase women from public life. “We knew this was coming but dreaded it and couldn’t stop it,” the current official, who requested anonymity to describe sensitive internal administration conversations, said regarding the administration’s response to Taliban policies after pulling out of Afghanistan nearly 18 months ago. STRAIT THROUGH: The U.S. sent the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Chung-Hoon through the Taiwan Strait Thursday, America’s first transit through the sensitive waters of the new year. China is angry. The U.S. should "immediately stop provoking troubles, escalating tensions and undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," said LIU PENGYU, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington. The transit comes a month after a Chinese warplane flew within 10 feet of an American aircraft above the South China Sea in December. Evasive maneuvers were required to avoid a collision. BLINKEN, NALS AND AIPAC: A State Department official reached out yesterday to say Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN would’ve spoken at a big American Israel Public Affairs Committee event next week if not for the North American Leaders Summit at the same time. Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN is confirmed to address the group. Blinken had previously spoken to J Street, a more liberal pro-Israel group than AIPAC. But we’re told Blinken’s absence at AIPAC is a scheduling issue more than anything else. DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of the global national security and foreign policy scene prefers to unwind with a drink. Today, we’re featuring STEPHEN WERTHEIM of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “After a long week complaining about U.S. foreign policy in a professional capacity, I like to unwind by complaining about U.S. foreign policy in a personal capacity over a gin concoction at The Wells in Eastern Market,” he told NatSec Daily. “The Corpse Reviver, made with shisho, dry curacao, absinthe, Citadelle Jardin d'Été gin, especially lubricates the flow of grievances.” You can read some of Wertheim’s critiques of the Biden administration and the natsec community from the left in The New Republic, The New York Times and other publications. Cheers, Stephen! IT’S FRIDAY. WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily. This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at award@politico.com and mberg@politico.com, and follow us on Twitter at @alexbward and @mattberg33. While you’re at it, follow the rest of POLITICO’s national security team: @nahaltoosi, @woodruffbets, @politicoryan, @PhelimKine, @BryanDBender, @laraseligman, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @leehudson, @magmill95, @ericgeller, @johnnysaks130, @ErinBanco and @Lawrence_Ukenye.
| | A message from Lockheed Martin: Enabling a world of unlimited possibility and 21st century security.
Lockheed Martin employees and customers are bound by a common cause. Ennobled by our shared patriotism, we will do all that is necessary to protect American and allied interests. Together, we will strengthen deterrence and help ensure mission readiness today. Learn more. | | | | | | CHAD FOILS PLANNED ATTACK ON GOVERNMENT:Chad’s government foiled a plot to destabilize its government and undermine the constitution, the Associated Press’ SAM MEDNICK reports. Soldiers and a human rights activist were among the 11 people involved in the attempt, AZIZ MAHAMAT SALEH, a government spokesperson, said in a statement. They were arrested last month and brought to the high court in N’Djamena, the nation’s capital. The human rights activist, BARADINE BERDEI TARGUIO, was charged with violating national security and illegally possessing weapons. Tensions in the West African nation have risen in recent months since MAHAMAT IDRISS DÉBY was declared the head of state after his father’s death in April 2021. Déby didn’t follow the constitution’s line of succession, and opposition leaders who first called for a coup later came to accept Déby as an interim leader.
| | | RUSSIAN HACKERS TARGET NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS: Russian hackers targeted three nuclear research laboratories in the United States over the summer, Reuters’ JAMES PEARSON and CHRISTOPHER BING report. In August and September, a hacking team known as Cold River created fake login pages for Brookhaven, Argonne and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, sending emails to nuclear scientists in an attempt to obtain their passwords. Internet records were reviewed by Reuters and five cyber security experts. It wasn’t immediately clear why the labs were targeted or if the hackers were successful. However, the attempts coincided with Putin’s insistence that Russia would be willing to use nuclear weapons to defend territory in its war with Ukraine. TIKTOK PAUSES PROGRESS ON SECURITY AGREEMENT: TikTok halted hiring consultants who would have allowed it to implement a potential security agreement with the U.S. as officials increasingly oppose the deal, Reuters’ ECHO WANG reports. In an effort to show the Biden administration that it’s attempting to keep its users’ data safe, TikTok has been creating a program to assure U.S. officials that it will comply with a security agreement. However, TikTok told consultants vying for some roles in the process that hiring was paused due to “recent developments,” according to people familiar with the matter. The social media platform will update the consultants on whether it will continue by the end of the month. NEW WHATSAPP FEATURE TO BYPASS INTERNET CENSORS:WhatsApp introduced a feature to help users skirt repressive regimes by allowing people to access the internet through proxy servers, The Washington Post’s ANDREW JEONG reports. Users can configure the app to access the internet through proxies, which act as intermediaries between users and internet services, that can help hide traffic and evade controls. Whatsapp, which has two billion users in 180 countries, specifically cited Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protesters as impetus for the update.
| | | NEW U.S. AID TO UKRAINE: The U.S. unveiled a new $2.25 billion aid package to Ukraine today, building on its promise this week to send armored vehicles to the country. The package, for the first time, includes radar-guided Sea Sparrow anti-air missiles, which can be launched from the sea or on land to intercept aircraft or cruise missiles. The Ukrainian military has managed to tweak its existing Soviet-era BUK launchers to fire the Sea Sparrows, two people familiar with the matter said. An additional $682 million will also cover military financing for east European countries to help them replace American equipment sent to Ukraine. The package could pave the way for countries to send more powerful Western tanks — including Germany’s Leopard or even the U.S. Army’s M1 Abrams — which U.S. and European allies have so far been reluctant to deliver.
| | | CLUSTER MUNITIONS REVIEW:Eleven lawmakers at the end of the last Congress urged Biden to review the administration’s cluster munitions policy. “It is time for the United States to become a leader in banning cluster munitions which have a long history of causing disproportionate and indiscriminate harm to civilians,” the senators and House members wrote in a letter. “Recognizing the harm these munitions cause, the United States is by far the world’s leading supporter of efforts to clear unexploded cluster munitions from battlefields and to aid the victims.” They continued: “We urge you to promptly order a review of U.S. policy on cluster munitions with the goal of halting their use, production, export, and stockpiling and putting the United States on a path to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions by a date certain.” The letter was led by Reps. WILLIAM KEATING (D-Mass.), JIM McGOVERN (D-Mass.), SARA JACOBS (D-Calif.) and then-Sen. PATRICK LEAHY (D-Vt.) and co-signed by seven other current and former lawmakers. Ukraine has asked the U.S. to send cluster munitions to help fend off Russian forces, but the administration has “concerns” about providing such assistance. National Security Council spokesperson ADRIENNE WATSON told us that “U.S. cluster munition policy is not under review.” WATCH: Is national security hindered by House speaker stalemate?
| | | |   | | | | | | SENATORS WARN AGAINST AUKUS:Two top senators warned President JOE BIDEN in December that the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal could imperil America’s own fleet. “We believe current conditions require a sober assessment of the facts to avoid stressing the U.S. submarine industrial base to the breaking point,” Sen. JACK REED (D-R.I.) and then-Sen. JIM INHOFE (R-Okla.) wrote in a letter obtained first by Breaking Defense’s JUSTIN KATZ. “We are concerned that what was initially touted as a ‘do no harm’ opportunity to support Australia and the United Kingdom and build long-term competitive advantages for the U.S. and its pacific allies, may be turning into a zero-sum game for scarce, highly advanced U.S. SSNs.” Australia’s defense minister, RICHARD MARLES, believes the letter won’t derail the deal.
| | | — AHMED NAGI has joined the International Crisis Group as a senior analyst focused on Yemen. He was last at the Carnegie Middle East Center.
| | | — ERIN BAGGOTT CARTER, BRETT CARTER and LARRY DIAMOND, Foreign Affairs: American Democracy Is Still in Danger — JAMIL JAN KOCHAI, The New York Times: Once Again, My Family Must Leave Afghanistan — SEBASTIAN MALLABY, The Washington Post: Biden needs allies to keep China and Russia in check. Here’s how to do it.
| | | — The Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, 9 a.m.: Towards Sustainable Peace and Democracy in Yemen — The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2 p.m.: The First Battle of the Next War: Wargaming a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan — Politics and Prose Bookstore, 7 p.m.: Book discussion on “Code Name Blue Wren: The Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy — and the Sister She Betrayed” Have a natsec-centric event coming up? Transitioning to a new defense-adjacent or foreign policy-focused gig? Shoot me an email at award@politico.com to be featured in the next edition of the newsletter. Thanks to our editor, Dave Brown, who says we’ve long driven him to his “breaking point.” We also thank our producer, Kierra Frazier, who embodies the “do not harm” mantra.
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Lockheed Martin is helping you outpace evolving threats by accelerating our digital transformation. That means simulating wear-and-tear with digital twins so you can anticipate maintenance and reduce downtime. It means deep knowledge of your missions. It means industry-wide experience and next-gen technologies. We do it all to help you prevent and deter emerging threats sooner and faster than ever. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
