Benjamin Friedman - Defense Priorities

Grand strategy, Asia, Burden sharing, China, Counterterrorism, Defense budgeting, Deterrence, Foreign and defense policy, Israel-Hamas, Israel-Iran, Middle East, Military analysis, NATO, North Korea, and Ukraine-Russia

Benjamin Friedman

Policy Director

Benjamin Friedman is policy director at Defense Priorities.

Friedman previously worked as a defense analyst at the Cato Institute and a researcher at the Center for Defense Information. Friedman is a graduate of Dartmouth College and studied for a PhD in political science at MIT. He has taught graduate courses at the University of Maryland and George Washington. He has edited three books on defense policy and strategy and has published academic essays in International Security, Political Science Quarterly, Orbis, Foreign Affairs, and World Affairs. He has written op-eds for many outlets, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Politico, The Atlantic, TIME, The Boston Globe, and the Boston Review.

Press ReleaseUkraine‑Russia, Diplomacy, Europe and Eurasia, Russia, Ukraine

Security guarantees for Ukraine are a dangerous fantasy

By Benjamin Friedman and Jennifer Kavanagh

August 18, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 18, 2025 Contact: press@defensepriorities.org WASHINGTON, DC—Today, President Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European […]

In the mediaUkraine‑Russia, Europe and Eurasia, Russia, Ukraine