Fred Kaplan Fred Kaplan

Fred Kaplan is the author of The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War and 1959: The Year Everything Changed.

 

War Stories
Oct. 16 2014 4:52 PMSins of OmissionCitizenfour is a fine documentary. Too bad the director glossed over some important details—and Edward Snowden didn’t gloss over more.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
Sept. 23 2014 4:04 PMThe Right TargetWhy Obama’s airstrikes against ISIS may be more effective than people expect.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
Sept. 11 2014 12:29 AMObama at WarThe president outlined a reasonable strategy for attacking ISIS. What could go wrong?Fred Kaplan
War Stories
Aug. 27 2014 5:49 PMObama Shouldn’t Bomb ISIS in SyriaWe have no strategy for intervening there, and no reason to think it will work.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
Aug. 12 2014 6:56 PMThe Case for Helping the KurdsA thriving Kurdistan is necessary for a democratic Iraq.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
July 21 2014 5:39 PMPutin’s FingerprintsVladimir Putin is responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. His next move will matter most of all.Fred Kaplan
Obit
July 11 2014 5:51 PMRIP, Charlie HadenThe jazz great loved a gorgeous song.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
July 1 2014 8:48 AMISIS’ Leader Just Declared Himself CaliphWhy that might actually mean that the militia is sputtering.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
June 16 2014 6:16 PMWhy Iran Is America’s Best New Partner in the Middle EastSometimes we must form alliances with unpleasant nations to prevent something worse.Fred Kaplan
Politics
June 2 2014 5:47 PMWhat People Don’t Understand About the Bergdahl DealAmerica negotiates with terrorists. These were not terrorists. And this could be the start of something big. Fred Kaplan
War Stories
May 26 2014 9:28 PMDid Peace Just Break Out in Ukraine?Why the standoff with Vladimir Putin may have ended.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
May 14 2014 1:54 PMThe Right Goal in UkraineDon’t be distracted by Putin and his antics. The real test is stabilizing Ukraine.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
April 23 2014 5:04 PMObama’s Trip to Asia Has Been Hijacked by the Crisis in UkraineFred Kaplan
War Stories
March 28 2014 4:38 PMThe Alarmist Claims That NATO Can’t Defend Europe From Russia Are PreposterousFred Kaplan
War Stories
March 7 2014 5:36 PMFalse WarningsPresident Obama has bungled his negotiations with Vladimir Putin.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
Oct. 8 2014 6:18 PMA Creeping SensationIf he’s not careful, President Obama is about to be sucked into a wider war in the Middle East.Fred Kaplan
Politics
Sept. 17 2014 5:21 PMDon’t Worry, Obama Isn’t Sending U.S. Troops to Fight ISISBut the next president might. Fred Kaplan
War Stories
Sept. 4 2014 12:06 PMEastern Contradictions There is an enormous gulf between what President Obama is saying about Ukraine and what he appears willing to do.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
Aug. 20 2014 7:01 PMObama’s Next MoveThe president just described ISIS as a threat to civilization. Now he must back up those words with action.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
July 23 2014 5:17 PMAmerica’s Flight 17The time the United States blew up a passenger plane—and tried to cover it up.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
July 17 2014 5:12 PMIsrael’s Deadly Gambits  The Israeli government has lost the ability to think strategically.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
July 11 2014 4:25 PMAngela Merkel Is Very AngryIn expelling the CIA station chief in Berlin, she’s sending a serious message to Obama.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
June 25 2014 6:04 PMIt’s Not Our WarThe United States should help others crush ISIS, and not much else.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
June 11 2014 5:18 PMAfter MosulIf jihadists control Iraq, blame Nouri al-Maliki, not the United States.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
May 28 2014 4:29 PMObama Lays Siege to His CriticsAt West Point, President Obama defends a foreign policy vision based on more than U.S. military might.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
May 21 2014 2:33 PMWhy Did the Justice Department Indict Five Chinese Military Officers?Obama wants Beijing to know how much we know.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
April 28 2014 6:21 PMThe Sanctions IllusionObama has chosen to go after Putin’s cronies. But do sanctions ever really work?Fred Kaplan
War Stories
April 14 2014 6:21 PMWhy Putin May Stand DownKiev is offering the Russian strongman what he wants, without his having to send in the tanks.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
March 19 2014 6:45 PMHow to Stop Putin in His TracksHe knows he’s weak. The West must show we know it, too.Fred Kaplan
War Stories
March 4 2014 6:11 PMHow to Punish PutinIgnore him. He’s running a regional power and isn’t half as smart as Cold Warriors think.Fred Kaplan

READ MORE STORIES

TODAY IN SLATE

The World

How Canada’s Shooting Tragedies Have Shaped Its Gun Control Politics

Where Ebola Lives Between Outbreaks

By Matt McCarthy

Gunman Killed Inside Canadian Parliament; Soldier Shot at National Monument Dies

Sleater-Kinney Was Once America’s Best Rock Band

Can it be again?

By Jack Hamilton

Paul Farmer: Up to 90 Percent of Ebola Patients Should Survive

Is he right?

By Joshua Keating
Science

“I’m Not a Scientist” Is No Excuse

Politicians brag about their ignorance while making ignorant decisions.

By David Shiffman
THE SLATEST SEE ALL
Technology

Driving in Circles

The autonomous Google car may never actually happen.

By Lee Gomes

In Praise of 13th Grade: Why a Fifth Year of High School Is a Great Idea 

By Rebecca Schuman

PowerPoint Is the Worst, and Now It’s the Latest Way to Hack Into Your Computer

By Lily Hay Newman
  News & Politics
Politics
Oct. 22 2014 9:42 PM Landslide Landrieu Can the Louisiana Democrat use the powers of incumbency to save herself one more time? John Dickerson
The Tragedies That Have Shaped Canada's Gun Politics
Paul Farmer Says Up to Ninety Percent of Those Infected Should Survive Ebola. Is He Right?
Why Has the World Health Organization Done Such a Bad Job Responding to the Ebola Crisis?
Why Anyone Old Enough to Vote Should Be Able to Run for President
The Irritating Confidante: Ben Bradlee’s Fascinating Relationship With John F. Kennedy
Why Countries Make Human Rights Pledges They Have No Intention of Honoring
  Business
Continuously Operating
Oct. 22 2014 2:38 PM Crack Open an Old One A highly unscientific evaluation of Germany’s oldest breweries. L.V. Anderson
Facebook Made $595 Million in the U.K. Last Year. It Paid $0 in Taxes.
Should You Trust Walmart with Your Health Care?
Is McDonald’s Planning to Replace Its Cashiers With Computer Screens?
Soda and Fries Have Lost Their Charm for Both Consumers and Investors
Walmart Is Killing the Rest of Corporate America in Solar Power Adoption
The Global Millionaires Club Is Booming and Losing Its Exclusivity
  Life
Gentleman Scholar
Oct. 22 2014 5:54 PM May I Offer to Sharpen My Friends’ Knives? Or would that be rude? Troy Patterson
In Praise of 13th Grade
How to Protect Your Neighbors From the Gay Gremlin Threat
The Surprisingly Xenophobic Origins of Wonder Bread
Do Gay Men "Have More Fun" Than Straight Men? (Video.)
At This Beach You Can Sunbathe in the Shadow of a Fascist Youth Camp
Casting the Role of Scarlett O'Hara Was Really, Really Frustrating
  Double X
The XX Factor
Oct. 22 2014 4:27 PM Three Ways Your Text Messages Change After You Get Married Melissa Dahl
Want Kids to Delay Sex? Let Planned Parenthood Teach Them Sex Ed.
On the Internet, Men Are Called Names. Women Are Stalked and Sexually Harassed.  
Renée Zellweger’s New Face Is Too Real
George Tiller’s Murderer Threatens Another Abortion Provider, Claims Right of Free Speech
I Am 25. I Don’t Work at Facebook. My Doctors Want Me to Freeze My Eggs.
Women Are Still Losing Jobs for Getting Pregnant
  Slate Plus
Tv Club
Oct. 22 2014 5:27 PM The Slate Walking Dead Podcast A spoiler-filled discussion of Episodes 1 and 2. Mike Vuolo and Chris Wade
What David Plotz Learned From His Podcast Series on Working
Where Are Slate Plus Members From? This Weird Cartogram Explains.
Doctor Who Podcast: Phil Plait and Gabriel Roth Recap Episode 9
Senior Editor David Haglund’s Recommended Reading From Slate This Week 
  Arts
Brow Beat
Oct. 22 2014 10:39 PM Avengers: Age of Ultron Looks Like a Fun, Sprawling, and Extremely Satisfying Sequel Sharan Shetty
Watch The Phone Call, a Short Film Starring Sally Hawkins That May Win an Oscar
Skinny Mark Wahlberg Goes for an Oscar: Watch the First Trailer for The Gambler
Writer William Giraldi Wishes Everyone Would Please Stop Likening Him to a Literary Genius
Watch the Eerie, Gorgeous Trailer for Joshua Oppenheimer’s Follow-up to The Act of Killing
Here’s What the Modern-Day Annie Remake Might Sound Like
IKEA’s Shining Spoof Captures the Maze-Like Terror of Getting Lost in Its Stores
  Technology
Future Tense
Oct. 22 2014 5:33 PM One More Reason Not to Use PowerPoint: It’s The Gateway for a Serious Windows Vulnerability Lily Hay Newman
Netizen Report: Twitter Users Under Fire in Mexico, Venezuela, Turkey
The App That Will Make Algebra Classes Seem Even More Pointless
A Seal of Approval to Stop Online Weather Poseurs
Don’t Give Up on Apple TV Yet
This Synthesizer Makes Music Out of the Weather
We Need to Make Learning More Dangerous
  Health & Science
Wild Things
Oct. 22 2014 2:42 PM Orcas, Via Drone, for the First Time Ever A.J. McCarthy
Feisty Sunspot Is Feisty. Very Very Much So.
Where Does Ebola Hide Between Outbreaks?
People Who Say “I’m Not a Scientist” Shouldn’t Be Politicians, Either
Monster Sunspot Will Make Thursday’s Eclipse That Much Cooler
Watch This Confused Rhino Act Like Its Best Friend, an Adorable Lamb 
An Illusion That Makes Me Happy and Sad
  Sports
Sports Nut
Oct. 20 2014 5:09 PM Keepaway, on Three. Ready—Break! On his record-breaking touchdown pass, Peyton Manning couldn’t even leave the celebration to chance. Chris Wade and A.J. McCarthy
The 2014 Kansas City Royals Show the Value of Building a Mediocre Baseball Team
How Relief Pitching Has Changed Baseball
Simone Biles Is the Best Gymnast in the World, and It’s Not Even Close
Baseball’s Strike Zone Is Getting Bigger Every Year. Will Someone Shrink It Back Down to Size?
Happy Baseball Fans Stormed the Field As Far Back As the 1920s. Why’d They Stop? (Video.)
A New U.S. Map Based on Where Baseball Players Were Born