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July 16, 2026 Iraq sanctions individuals and entities tied to Lebanese Hezbollah On July 15, Iraq’s Ministry of Finance circulated a banking directive instructing ministries, state entities, and financial institutions to implement recent US Treasury Department sanctions... July 16, 2026 Iraqi Prime Minister Zaidi meets President Trump, Secretary Hegseth in Washington Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi met with US President Donald Trump on July 14 as part of his multi-day trip to Washington. It is Zaidi’s first trip to the United States after being sworn... July 16, 2026 Syria intercepts advanced weapons bound for Hezbollah from Iraq On July 16, Syria’s Ministry of Interior announced that it had foiled an “attempt to smuggle a large shipment of sophisticated weapons across the Syrian-Iraqi border.” The ministry said... July 16, 2026 Germany’s Expanding Defense Partnership With Israel Hit Troubled Waters. It’s Too Valuable To Sink. As America’s NATO allies boost their defense spending and capabilities to counter Russian aggression, Germany is turning to Israel. After fielding its first Israeli-made Arrow 3 ballistic... July 15, 2026 Charlotte Kates organizes hate If radical anti-Israel protests in New York City look like coordinated efforts, that’s because they are. While some of the organizers are still hiding in the shadows, one of them has made herself easy... July 15, 2026 Syria opens new parliament, hosts Turkish Navy Syria convened its new parliament on July 12, the first to meet since the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime in December 2024. The new parliament, called the People’s Assembly, met after Syrian... July 15, 2026 What would Joe Biden do? President Joe Biden tried to talk wars down. For example, on Jan. 19, 2022, he suggested – hopefully, it seemed to me – that Russia’s coming invasion of Ukraine would be only a “minor incursion.” No... July 14, 2026 Saudi Arabia and Houthis trade attacks over restarting direct flights between Yemen and Iran Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital on July 13 to stop the landing of a plane carrying the Houthi delegation to slain Iranian Supreme Leader... July 14, 2026 Erdogan Dreams of Annexing Arab Countries, Reviving the Turkish Empire When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam with a copy of his grandfather Salim Salam’s memoirs, he was making more than a diplomatic gesture. By invoking... July 14, 2026 Between Iraq and a Hard Place Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, only two months into his term, has a busy month of foreign engagements. In early July, he received the body of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei which was visiting Iraq’s... July 13, 2026 America’s Military Plans Depend on Infrastructure It Doesn’t Secure Military power is meaningless if it cannot move. Every American war plan, from deterring aggression in Europe to prevailing in the Indo-Pacific, depends on our ability to maneuver people,... July 13, 2026 The Israel-Lebanon framework agreement explained On June 26, Israel and Lebanon signed the Trilateral Framework Between the United States, Israel, and Lebanon, whose goal is to end the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, secure both countries’ sovereignty... July 13, 2026 Russia’s Next Annexation: South Ossetia As Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on, Moscow is moving to solidify its hold over another neighbor’s territory—this time not with tanks but by the stroke of a pen. The Kremlin last week... July 12, 2026 How Putin is exploiting Poland and Ukraine’s oldest wound As Poland marks its National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Volhynia Massacre on July 11, history and politics have once again moved to the forefront of Polish-Ukrainian... July 12, 2026 US refocuses air campaign in Somalia on Shabaab Over the course of President Donald Trump’s second term in office, the United States has greatly increased its military strikes inside Somalia. Throughout the previous administration of President Joe... July 12, 2026 A smoking gun in the Solomons proves information shaping by China Somebody got sloppy and left a smoking gun on the political warfare battlefield. So, let’s put on our deerstalker hats and try to figure out who, and why. It started on June 14th when two news sites... July 11, 2026 Europe is stepping up to fortify NATO 3.0 — and we must do the same The consequences of the NATO summit that concluded Wednesday in Ankara will be determined primarily by two questions: Will Europeans step up to honor their defense-spending commitments and carry more of... July 10, 2026 Ezra Jin’s Release Is a Victory Washington Can Replicate In the early hours of July 3, 2026, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri was pulled from his jail cell in southern China. He assumed he was being transferred to another prison. Only when he arrived at the... July 10, 2026 Trial for Glorifying Terrorism: When MEP Rima Hassan Is Backed by Rabid Antisemites *This article was originally published in French The far-left member of the European Parliament is portrayed as the victim of a “crime of Palestine”: prosecuted for her opinions by a government... July 9, 2026 Turkey’s Cooperation with Russia and China Is a Major Reason It Shouldn’t Receive the F-35 Jet President Trump departed the NATO Summit in Ankara without announcing Turkey’s reinstatement in the F-35 program, a major disappointment to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This omission... July 9, 2026 Qatar’s diplomacy should worry Trump in Iran talks Excerpt On a gleaming Swiss mountaintop in June, American and Iranian officials launched talks for a final agreement to end the war in the Middle East. The venue, a glamorous resort where once upon... July 9, 2026 Board of Peace to establish ‘pilot zone’ for Gaza civilians, IDF claims 13 ceasefire violations June 30–July 9 On July 8, the US-led Board of Peace announced that it would soon establish a “pilot zone” in southern Gaza. Planned for Tel Sultan, near Rafah, the goal of the zone would be to move unarmed... July 9, 2026 US moves to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism US President Donald Trump “informed Congress of his administration’s intent to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST),” the US State Department announced on... July 9, 2026 Can The Earthquake Help Venezuela Shake The Dictatorship? The earthquakes in Venezuela were a natural disaster, but corruption is the fault line that turned them into a man-made catastrophe. With thousands dead and tens of thousands missing, it is now... July 9, 2026 Body of slain Iranian leader Khamenei arrives in Iraq for Najaf and Karbala rites The body of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was taken to the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on July 8 as part of his funeral procession. Large crowds gathered to mourn the slain leader... July 9, 2026 How the Houthis Could Put the World in Double Dire Straits Excerpt The Yemeni warfront, perpetually threatening and occasionally lethal for Israel, was relatively quiet during the recent war between the United States, Israel, and Iran. But while the Houthis,... July 9, 2026 This Question Will Determine the Fate of Trump’s Israel-Lebanon Deal Excerpt The agreement signed last month by Israel and Lebanon was hailed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “the beginning of the beginning” in the process of disarming Hezbollah... July 9, 2026 Why Iran Sanctions Relief Wouldn’t Have Stopped Iran Déjà vu is a funny thing. Washington was on the verge of reliving a familiar chapter of its Iran policy before Tehran reminded it of where that road leads. The recently negotiated Memorandum of... July 8, 2026 The time for talk is over — Trump needs to get tough with Iran Just three weeks after it was signed, the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran is on life support. Tehran’s promise to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for international... July 8, 2026 The US military is not organized for cyber war Excerpt The United States is preparing for cyber conflict with a military structure that still treats cyberspace as a secondary supporting function. We have soldiers for land, sailors for sea, airmen... July 8, 2026 The forgotten history of Muslim socialism Zohran Mamdani, Aber Kawas, Rashida Tlaib, Darializa Avila Chevalier. Those are just some of the Democratic politicians who self-identify as both socialists and Muslims. Which gives me an... July 7, 2026 Trump Shouldn’t Delist Syria Without Conditions Excerpt This Wednesday, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa will sit down with President Donald Trump for the second time. Less than a year ago, Sharaa... July 7, 2026 Hamas announces intent to dissolve Gaza government as disarmament questions remain Hamas claimed on July 6 it was ready to transfer authority and dissolve its government in Gaza. The announcement appeared to be in line with the US-brokered ceasefire that envisions... July 7, 2026 CENTCOM strikes Iran as Tehran condemns US sanctions waiver revocation United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on July 7 that it had launched an attack wave on targets in Iran “to impose heavy costs” in response to the Islamic Republic’s strikes... July 6, 2026 Stand Up Excerpt It was the early 2000s. French Jews were already grieving, though much of the country preferred not to notice. Synagogues were attacked. Jewish children were beaten on their way to school. Anti-Zionism... July 6, 2026 Hezbollah’s Lebanese Allies Are Ready to Dump It Speaker Nabih Berri and Druze chief Walid Jumblatt have so far sided with Hezbollah by denouncing the June 26 Trilateral Framework between Lebanon, Israel, and the U.S. Yet despite their rhetoric, neither... July 5, 2026 Doling out tough love to European countries should top Trump’s NATO summit agenda This week’s NATO summit in Ankara arrives at a fraught moment: Even as America and its allies face growing threats from authoritarian powers, differences over Ukraine, Iran, Greenland and US military... July 3, 2026 Don’t Decimate U.S. Military Posture in Europe As NATO leaders gather in Ankara next week, there is much to celebrate. Ukraine is gaining the upper hand on the battlefield against Russia. European defense spending is way up. Many European... July 2, 2026 The UN’s crusade against Israel is fueling the pro-Hamas left A smirk laid bare the United Nations’ unremitting hostility toward the state of Israel and its people. Last week UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem sat stone-faced and silent as she reluctantly listened... July 2, 2026 Why NATO Should Pivot Toward Economic Security The battlefield is shifting—from troops and trenches to critical minerals, maritime insurance, and export controls. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are all increasingly... July 2, 2026 Iranian ballistic missile operations: 2024–2026 Over the past two years, the Islamic Republic has engaged in at least 15 distinct ballistic missile operations from its territory against foreign targets. These attacks, starting in January 2024, ended... July 2, 2026 AI technologists, Your Country Is Calling In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, and the United States realized that it was on the losing end of a technology race. Suddenly, the federal government had to identify, recruit,... July 2, 2026 Serbia and Georgia aren’t our friends — They’re authoritarian regimes courting Trump When autocrats seek legitimacy, they often travel in pairs. Such was the case when Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic traveled to Tbilisi in June. While this was the first visit by a Serbian... July 2, 2026 Is Iran becoming a post-Islamic society? Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that has not stopped the exchange of fire in the Gulf but has already produced a renewed and more aggressive repression campaign inside... July 2, 2026 Syria appoints new parliament as Israel tensions continue On July 1, Syria’s government said that the country’s Higher Committee for People’s Assembly Elections had announced the final list of names for the country’s new parliament. The... July 2, 2026 The long shadow of delay Excerpt President Trump’s recent suggestion that he could use arms sales to Taiwan as a bargaining chip with China is a stark reminder of what a political issue arms sales to Taiwan can... July 2, 2026 Assimilation Is the Key to Citizenship Excerpt Many of my earliest memories are from a dingy closet-turned ESL classroom in Queens, New York. Most days, I sat between a Chinese student and a Ukrainian student. Across from us sat twins from Mexico who’d... July 1, 2026 Why Hasn’t the Trump Administration Complied with the Law on Reporting Iran Agreements to Congress? Abstract This article argues that the Trump Administration’s Memorandum of Understanding with Iran is subject to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA) but the administration has not complied... July 1, 2026 For Tehran, negotiation is war by other means President Trump has observed that Iran’s rulers have “never won a war, but never lost a negotiation.” The question that should follow: Why is that? One reason they don’t win wars: They have... June 30, 2026 Russia, Hamas, and China: Three reasons Turkey shouldn’t get the F-35 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears eager to impress Washington and Brussels at the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey, with Ankara undertaking robust preparations and Turkish officials trumpeting Erdogan’s...

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