Skip to main content

Op-eds

Filter

Close

Products

December 18, 2024 The day after in Syria Following revolutions, we Americans have a touching inclination to ask: “Are the new leaders like us? Are they moderates who believe in tolerance and peaceful coexistence?” Generally, the answer... December 17, 2024 New Syrian transitional government meets with European, UN officials The new government of Syria is moving quickly to reach out to Europe, the UN, and the US to end Syria’s isolation ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. It’s... December 17, 2024 Night raid: Watching female IDF soldiers detain terror suspects in Bethlehem There’s a narrow street near a mosque. The green light of the minaret is shining above us, but otherwise the sky is dark. It’s around 2:50 a.m. On the mosque, there is a white sign with black letters... December 17, 2024 Why are the Houthis attacking Israel – and can they be deterred? The Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Israel on Monday, the latest in their continued attempts to attack the country.They have used rockets and drones in attacks over the last months. The... December 17, 2024 Israel’s Bashan Arrow operation in Syria continues As the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad was collapsing on December 8, Israel set in motion a contingency plan that anticipated the situation. In recent weeks, the military intelligence... December 17, 2024 US military strikes Islamic State camps and personnel in central Syria On December 16, the US military launched a second round of strikes against Islamic State personnel and infrastructure in Syria since the fall of the regime of Bashir al Assad on December 8. US operations... December 17, 2024 IDF shifts forces on Lebanon and Syria borders The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are preparing to remain in several areas along the Syrian border, including atop Mount Hermon and in a larger buffer zone between Israel and Syria. This development comes... December 17, 2024 How Turkey Outplayed Egypt and the U.S. In The Horn Of Africa Turkey has mediated an agreement between Ethiopia and Somalia, ending nearly a decade-long rivalry between the two African nations. While the deal is a welcome development for regional stability,... December 16, 2024 The Demographic Dilemma: Why Military Support Must Consider Population Trends The strategic center of gravity for Ukraine in its war with Russia is its ability to sustain the manpower needed to man the front lines against a determined foe. Ukraine has struggled to mobilize enough... December 16, 2024 Al-Hol camp is a test for future of Syria Syria is undergoing rapid changes. The new government is taking shape under Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani. It has a new prime minister and is drafting many new decrees,... December 16, 2024 Tehran eyes influence in Syria with plans to reopen Damascus embassy Iran wants to reopen its embassy in Damascus. This follows Turkey, Qatar, and other countries rushing to open diplomatic posts in Damascus and work with the new government there.“Iran’s Ambassador... December 16, 2024 Understanding Syria’s pleasantly surprising new ruler Sharaa In its second week after Assad, Syria continues to ride a wave of euphoria and hope, bolstered by pleasant surprises from its new de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly al-Jolani. Over the weekend... December 16, 2024 A new window into the Assad regime’s narcotrafficking operations In the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, footage began circulating that allegedly showed production hubs in Syria for the amphetamine-like drug fenethylline, now commonly known by one of its former brand... December 15, 2024 Is Syria’s Julani part of a rising generation of younger Middle East leaders? Ahmed al-Sharaa, the new leader of Syria who also goes by the name Abu Mohammad al-Julani, represents a possible new era of leadership in the Middle East. He was born in 1982, making him one of... December 14, 2024 Turkey moves to isolate the Kurds in Syria, and prepares a way for new attacks Turkey is seeking to rapidly take advantage of the fall of the Assad regime to try to settle several scores in Syria and then assume a place of power in Damascus. Turkey has already played a major role... December 14, 2024 Southern Syria’s resurgence brings Jordan and Iraq back in key roles King Abdullah II of Jordan is concerned about developments in southern Syria. He knows very well the issues involved there, because Jordan hosted many Syrian refugees after the Syrian civil war broke... December 14, 2024 How the 119th Congress can move the needle on US cybersecurity When the 119th Congress convenes in January, it must modernize the U.S. government’s approach to cybersecurity. This is not only about defending our national security; it is about growing our economic... December 14, 2024 Turkistan Islamic Party uses video from Syria to encourage jihad in China The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), an Al Qaeda branch that fights under the banner of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), used a propaganda video from Syria to encourage Muslims to wage jihad in China. Hayat Tahrir... December 13, 2024 Iran never gave up on Assad; it simply failed to protect him The sudden collapse of the Islamic Republic’s closest state-actor ally stunned the world, as Syrian rebels captured Damascus just 11 days after launching a new wave of insurgency. To deflect this humiliating... December 13, 2024 Turning human rights upside down Two recent developments suggest that a concerted effort is underway to reframe the international human-rights architecture that emerged from World War II, by shifting the focus away from freedom of conscience... December 13, 2024 Assad’s Enemies Are Not Our Friends The fall of Bashar Al Assad’s brutal regime is a moment for celebration. He is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the immiseration of millions more. Like his late... December 12, 2024 Hayat Tahrir al Sham’s terror network in Syria On December 8, 2024, rebel forces deposed the regime of Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al Assad, after the insurgents stormed through much of the country, retaking various regional capitals and culminating... December 12, 2024 Somali forces turn their weapons on each other Yesterday, the Somali National Army (SNA) of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in Mogadishu was routed from the southern Somali town of Ras Kamboni. This battle was not with the SNA’s typical enemy—Shabaab,... December 11, 2024 Assad is gone. What’s next for Syria? When Gulf Cooperation Council countries announced on Dec. 1 that they opposed “regional intervention” — meaning the deployment of pro-Iran militias — in Syria and called for... December 11, 2024 Israel does world a service by hitting Assad’s chemical weapons caches In the wake of the Assad regime’s collapse, Israel did the world a major service. Over the past few days, the Israeli Air Force struck dozens of alleged Syrian chemical weapons... December 11, 2024 Southern Syria groups overthrew Assad and control areas near the Golan Leaders of armed groups from southern Syria who helped overthrow the Assad regime met with Abu Mohammed al-Jolani on Wednesday, according to photos and reports posted online. This is important... December 11, 2024 Terrorists in central Gaza continue to threaten Israel The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted two projectiles fired from central Gaza on December 11. The IDF did not specify if the threats were rockets or mortars, but Israeli defense systems are capable... December 11, 2024 Taliban’s minister of refugees killed in suicide attack in Kabul Khalil al Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s minister of refugees and a terrorist wanted by the United States, was killed in a suicide attack today outside of his ministry building. Khalil served as the minister... December 11, 2024 The Australian Government Allowed Hate Speech Against Jews and Israel; Then a Synagogue Was Burned Vandals defaced a synagogue in the Australian city of Melbourne in late November, with the phrases “Free Gaza” and “Jews kill babies.” A week later, in early December, two masked... December 11, 2024 Europe’s Nuclear Energy and Central Asian Uranium The drive toward electrification coupled with the political decision to reduce fossil fuel consumption is creating a situation where, by necessity, there is renewed interest in nuclear energy. In... December 11, 2024 Assad exits and Khamenei’s strategy unravels Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, liked to chant “Death to Israel!” and “Death to America!” Ali Khamenei, who succeeded him in 1989, designed a strategy to make progress... December 11, 2024 Amnesty International’s deep bias exposed in report on alleged Israeli ‘genocide’ A report from Amnesty International released last Thursday attempts to show that the Jewish state is guilty of the crime of genocide. Yet in the end, it only exposes the deep biases of its authors, who... December 11, 2024 Israel Secures its interests in Syria Bashar al Assad’s regime fell in the early morning of December 8, withering away in the face of a mere 11-day onslaught by a coalition of opposition armed groups. Israel found itself caught off-guard by... December 10, 2024 Hamas, PIJ adjust to post-Assad Syria, eye continued Iranian support Hamas has said that it “congratulates our brotherly Syrian people on their success in achieving their aspirations for freedom and justice, and calls on all components of the Syrian people to unite... December 10, 2024 Why are Iran and Turkey moving to condemn Israel’s role in Syria? Iran and Turkey, as well as media and commentators linked to both countries, are seeking to condemn Israel for its recent bombing of Syrian military sites. They are also condemning Israel for its... December 10, 2024 Steady leadership prepares TSA to face evolving cyber threats New presidents bring new policies. But amid rapidly expanding cyber threats, steady leadership at the federal agencies charged with securing critical infrastructure is, well, critical. David Pekoske,... December 10, 2024 Amnesty International’s False Genocide Claim Amnesty International’s report redefines genocide, invents facts to condemn Israel and ignores facts that exonerate Israel. Amnesty admits to its bogus genocide definition on page 101, complaining... December 10, 2024 Don’t bet on the Lebanese Army to restrain Hezbollah The Assad regime has fallen. Meanwhile, the dreaded Third Lebanon War, during which Israel gave Hezbollah an unprecedented drubbing, is either over or in a ceasefire-induced lull. But the Iranian-backed... December 10, 2024 IDF strikes former Syrian regime military sites The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out strikes on more than 300 targets in Syria over several days in the wake of the Assad regime’s fall on December 8. The strikes aimed at key military... December 10, 2024 Qatar’s Corrupt Anti-Corruption Initiative Last month, the autocratic Gulf state of Qatar handed out anti-corruption awards in partnership with the United Nations. The entire exercise was gaslighting in the extreme. It took chutzpah... December 9, 2024 Tehran May Tempt Trump With Talks One of the first things the Syrian rebels did on entering Damascus was to ransack the Iranian Embassy. The Assad dynasty was a pillar of the Islamic Republic’s regional power. In 1980 Hafez... December 9, 2024 Erdogan Gets His ‘Leader of the Muslim World’ Moment Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has come full circle and then some on Syria. At the dawn of the Erdogan era, Turkey’s then-prime minister was Bashar al Assad’s patron—once... December 9, 2024 As the Lebanon ceasefire holds, Metulla stands empty Metulla, located in the far north of Israel at the top of the Hula Valley on the border with Lebanon, is a beautiful city. Before the war, I remember coming here for trips, sometimes to stay... December 9, 2024 How To Stop China From Manipulating North American Markets Chinese companies are on the move. Facing increasing tariffs on Chinese goods under the Biden administration, such as those on steel and aluminum, Chinese manufacturers responded by increasingly moving... December 9, 2024 Iran is trying to spin Syria crisis for its benefit Iran knows that it lost a lot of influence in the region when the Assad regime fell in Syria. Now, the Iranian regime is scrambling to shore up its image. How is Iran doing this? Iran has several... December 9, 2024 US launches massive strikes on Islamic State as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham deposes Assad regime The US Military launched “dozens” of airstrikes against Islamic State targets in central Syria on December 8, the day that President Bashir al-Assad’s regime was overthrown by the terrorist organization... December 9, 2024 Who liberated Damascus? Unpacking the Southern Operations Room’s emergence The Southern Operations Room (SOR), a coalition of opposition groups, was announced on December 6, 2024. In its inaugural statement, the SOR called on the international community to... December 9, 2024 How to Bring Back Maximum Pressure on Iran At the end of 2020, the Islamic Republic of Iran was down to just $4 billion in accessible foreign exchange reserves. Its terrorist mastermind, Qassem Solemani, and the godfather of its nuclear weapons... December 8, 2024 Assad Is Gone: What Happens to Syria Now? On 9/11, Sunni Islamism attacked the U.S. and suffered a crushing American response that allowed Iranian Shia Islamism to rise and dominate parts of the Middle East. On 10/7, Shia Islamism – with the... December 8, 2024 What’s at stake for America in Syria after Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s murderer-in-chief, has fled to Moscow. The people are celebrating, tearing down posters of Assad and statues of his equally vicious father, who founded the regime. But...

1

…

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

…

281

#archivePage { display:none; } .noscript-posts { display: flex; flex-direction: column; max-width: 600px; margin: 50px auto; } .noscript-posts a { margin-bottom: 25px; text-decoration: none; display: flex; flex-direction: column; } .noscript-posts a .post-title { text-decoration: underline; font-weight: 700; font-size: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; } .pagination { list-style-type: none; max-width: 600px; margin: 50px auto; }