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December 10, 2013 The Costs for Iran of Walking Away from Nuclear Negotiations The U.S. Senate is working on new legislation that would impose sanctions on Iran if it cheat... December 10, 2013 Rouhani’s Economic Battles with the IRGC President Hassan Rouhani’s September 16, 2013 address to the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) &ndash... December 9, 2013 The Geneva Joint Plan of Action and Iran’s Petrochemical Sector Co-authored by Saeed Ghasseminejad The Joint Plan of Action (JPA) signed on November 24 between Iran an... December 9, 2013 Rouhani Purges the IRGC From Local Government Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is systematically purging the executive branch of the veterans of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Among Rouhani’s 18 cabinet ministers, there... December 5, 2013 Who Took Out Hezbollah’s Hassan al-Laqqis? Minutes after Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah finished a lengthy televised appearance late Tuesday night, a team of unknown assailants assassinated Hassan al-Laqqis, one of the... December 5, 2013 Saudi Clerics Endorse Jihadists in Syria A group of 72 preachers and religious scholars from Saudi Arabia published a petition yesterday endorsing the Islamic Front in Syria. The Islam... November 26, 2013 Iranian FM Mohammad-Javad Zarif: Twitter vs Memoirs Iranian foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator Mohammad-Javad Zarif returned to Tehran with great fanfare this weekend following the accord he reached with the US and other world powers in... November 26, 2013 The Gulf Reaction to Geneva Coverage of international responses to the Iranian nuclear deal has focused primarily on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s... November 26, 2013 Canada Stays Strong on Iran Canada has taken a tough public stance regarding the interim deal reached between Iran and the P5+1 on Sunday. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird expressed great skepticism of Iran’s inten... November 20, 2013 The Iranian Embassy Bombing in Beirut: Many Questions Remain Two explosions targeted the Iranian Embassy in Beirut yesterday, killing at least 23 people, among them the Iranian cultural attaché, Hojatoleslam Ebrahim Ansari and the head of Hezbollah&... November 20, 2013 Ali Khamenei’s Defiant Diatribe While the Western media continue to speculate on the P5+1 negotiations in Geneva, the Iranian media tuned in to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's ... November 19, 2013 The Abdullah Azzam Brigades and the Attack on Iran’s Embassy in Beirut By David Barnett The Abdullah Azzam Brigades (AAB), an al Qaeda-linked group, announced today that its Hussein bin Ali Battalion was responsible for the double suicide attack on... November 18, 2013 The Iranian Media Reacts to Geneva With the next round of Geneva negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 looming, Iran’s press is divided. On one side, mouthpieces of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Revolutiona... November 11, 2013 One-Year After ‘Pillar of Defense,’ Hamas is on its Heels By David Barnett One year ago Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Pillar of Defense (PoD) in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The largely aerial assault began... November 9, 2013 The Dollar Value of the Proposed Sanctions Relief at Geneva The P5+1 is negotiating an interim nuclear deal with Iran to freeze in place its illicit nuclear program. Based on open source reporting, and an analysis by the Foundation for Defense of Democrac... November 8, 2013 The Widening Gap in Iran Between Rouhani and the RevGuards US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva today to “help narrow differences” and finalize an... November 8, 2013 The Pakistani Taliban Appoints a New Leader The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, an al Qaeda-linked group that has fought a brutal insurgency in Pakistan since 2007, named a new leader yesterday. The announcement came just six days aft... November 8, 2013 Khamenei’s 100 Days with Rouhani In a few days, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran will have reached his 100 day mark. Analysts rightly point to the change in tone adopted by the new president, particularly when compared to Mahmou... November 4, 2013 Rouhani’s New Spymaster After 100 Days Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has famously promised “moderation” in Iran since being elected president of the Islamic Republic this summer. His intelligence minister, Mahmoud Alavi... November 1, 2013 Rouhani’s Failed Human Rights Promises The first 100 days of Hassan Rouhani’s presidency has done little to improve Iran’s human rights record. Widely hailed as a moderate, Rouhani... October 22, 2013 The Volgograd Suicide Bombing in Context A female suicide bomber carried out an attack in the southern Russian city of Volgograd on Monday, killing 6 and injuring 33 civilians on... October 19, 2013 Saudi Arabia Turns Down UN Security Council Seat Saudi Arabia made the surprising choice on Friday to give up its first ever sea... October 11, 2013 Iran’s Central Bank Governor at the World Bank/IMF Summit Valiollah Seif, Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), will be in Washington, DC October 11-13 to attend the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International... October 8, 2013 Hamas Leader Meets Turkey’s Prime Minster in Ankara Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet today with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Ankara, a... October 8, 2013 Abdelhakim Belhadj and Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia Co-authored by Kathleen Soucy A Tunisian investigator leveled explosive new allegations last week against Abdelhakim Belhadj, a prominent Libyan political figure, implicating hi... October 7, 2013 The Designation of Egypt’s Muhammad Jamal By David Barnett The U.S. Department of State today announced the designation of Muhammad Jamal and his network... October 4, 2013 Qatar and the World Cup Qatar’s plans to host the 2022 World Cup, an event watched by nearly half of... September 27, 2013 The Ban on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt On September 23, a Cairo court issued a verdict instituting a ban on the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates in Egypt. The decision comes in the wake of recent government raid... September 26, 2013 Iran Responds to Obama’s UNGA Speech Iranian press closely associated with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) mocked President Barack Obama for his... September 25, 2013 Rouhani’s Corrupt Cabinet Co-authored by Saeed Ghasseminejad Most Western observers welcomed the end of former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s term with a sigh of relief, interpreting new p... September 19, 2013 Iran’s Strategy in Syria “We must possess Syria. If the chain from Lebanon to here is cut, bad things will happen,” former Iranian president Ali-Akbar... September 19, 2013 Turkey’s Strategy in Syria “The Assad regime has not lived up to any of its pledges, it has won time for new massacres and continues to do so,” said Turkish Prime Minister... September 19, 2013 Qatar’s Strategy in Syria Qatar seeks to turn its newfound energy riches into political power by tapping the strength of... September 19, 2013 Saudi Strategy in Syria Saud al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, issued a direct order earlier this month: “... September 16, 2013 Egypt’s New Political Transition Egypt’s “Committee of the Fifty,” which serves as a constituent assembly, held its first deliberations last week to draft a new constitution. The meeting was a major milestone,... September 16, 2013 Iran’s New Defense Minister: A Track Record of Irregular Warfare The civil war in Syria has made it increasingly difficult for Iranian president Hassan Rouhani to claim that his country has embarked on a new or moderate path. Even if Rouhani is truly a moderat... August 27, 2013 Iran’s New Central Bank Chief President Hassan Rouhani this week... August 16, 2013 Hamas, Egypt and the “Rule of Holes” The rule of holes: when in one, stop digging. This proverb is apparently lost on the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. The faction, which controls the Gaza Strip, has been under... August 14, 2013 Iran and African Uranium By Zachary Elkaim The Zimbabwean government recently issued a denial of a Times of London... August 13, 2013 Challenges Await Mali’s Next President While results are being tallied in Mali’s run-off elections, a ‘strong man’ appears poised to win the presidential elections. In the first round, former Prime Minister Ibrahim B... August 12, 2013 Rouhani’s Cabinet and the Challenge of Reform The election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has created an atmosphere of hope and optimism, both at home and abroad, not seen since Mohammad Khatami’s electoral victory in 1997. Howeve... August 9, 2013 Jihadi Violence in the Sinai Peninsula By Lauren Schumacher Five jihadists who were allegedly preparing to fire rockets towards Israel were reportedly killed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula earlier today. It is stil... August 7, 2013 President Rouhani’s Cabinet: MOIS vs. IRGC? President Hassan Rouhani presented his cabinet to the Iranian parliament on August 4. His team is c... August 5, 2013 All the President’s Men: Rouhani’s Cabinet President Hassan Rouhani presented his cabinet yesterday to the Iranian Majles. It remains to be seen if the parliament will approve R... August 2, 2013 Saudi-Qatari Rapprochement? Today marked the first official trip abroad by the new Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. Al-Thani... July 26, 2013 Follow-Up Needed After the EU’s Hezbollah Ban The European Union (EU) dealt a blow to the Lebanon-based terrorist organization Hezbollah earlier this week, blacklisting the organization’s military wing. The EU was wise to focus its att... July 25, 2013 Mali’s Elections Will Not Solve Its Problems By Zachary Elkaim Mali is set to hold presidential elections on Sunday, July 28. While the democratic process should be welcomed, it has been beset with challenges, and more are... July 19, 2013 Netanyahu, Abbas and the Kerry Initiative Secretary of State John Kerry announced today that, after six trips to the Middle East, he has successfully convinced the Israelis and the Palestinians to establish "a basis" for resuming diploma... July 17, 2013 Egypt and the African Union By Zachary Elkaim Following the ouster of Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi earlier this month, the Afric... July 9, 2013 Hezbollah Paying A Price For Entering the Syrian Civil War? A Nissan SUV packed with 35 Kgs of explosives blew up today in the Hezbollah-controlled Bir al-Abed neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs, reportedly causing 37 injuries....

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