Riyadh has an obvious problem, but no obvious solution
Riyadh has lived with the Houthi danger lurking at its southern border without good options to remove it.
Abu Dhabi
Saudi Arabia Needs a New Yemen Strategy to Defeat the Houthis
Israel’s formidable military and intelligence machines chewed up and spit out two of Iran’s most powerful regional proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. Tehran’s militias in Iraq have proved far less capable...
Op-eds
Saudi Arabia Picked a Fight With the Two Nations That Could Help It the Most Against the Houthis — Israel and the UAE
Riyadh is running out of options, and more importantly, it is running out of time. In less than two weeks, Iran and its proxy militia in Yemen have effectively checkmated Saudi Arabia by severing...
Op-eds
Dark Transits are a Stopgap not a Solution
Washington has accomplished an important feat by stealthily moving oil through the Persian Gulf despite Iran’s proclaimed closure. But the means it has relied on can’t become normal maritime...
Op-eds
The Abraham Accords at Six: How a New Paradigm Outpaced the Old Peace
Six years after the Abraham Accords were signed on the White House lawn, perhaps the clearest evidence of how profoundly they have changed the Middle East came not at another diplomatic ceremony, but behind...
Op-eds
As Iran batters the Gulf states, Trump’s course is beyond clear
President Donald Trump says he has “plenty of time” for talks with Iran. That works because Washington, DC, is 7,000 miles away from the Strait of Hormuz. But if you are in Dubai,...
Op-eds
Ankara’s Charm Offensive Should Not Buy Back the F-35
The choreography in Ankara last week was impressive, even by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s standards. Cannons fired, mounted honor guards paraded, and jets flew overhead trailing red, white, and blue smoke...
Op-eds
Selling the S-400 to Qatar or the UAE Solves Turkey’s Problem, Not Washington’s
Turkey’s decade-long standoff with Washington over the S-400 may finally be nearing an inflection point, though not in the tidy way Ankara once imagined, and not without a fresh dose of frustration...
Insights
US kills Islamic State senior leader in Syria, Damascus rejects Lebanon intervention
On June 19, US Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out an airstrike targeting a senior leader of the Islamic State in Syria as the US maintains its decade-long campaign against the jihadist...
Op-eds
Saudi Arabia and UAE say drone attacks were launched from Iraq
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said that recent drone attacks against their countries originated from Iraq. “The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday that six drones had been launched...
Op-eds
UAE sanctions Hezbollah-linked financial network, reflecting US designations
On May 12, the United Arab Emirates’ official news agency, Emirates News Agency, announced that Abu Dhabi had designated 16 Lebanese nationals and five Lebanon-based entities to its terrorism...
Op-eds
This Economic Weapon Is Worth Congress’s Attention
Currency swap lines are useful foreign-policy tools, but current law limits their availability.
Op-eds
Saudi Arabia’s strange war: Appease Iran, rebuff Israel
Riyadh’s muted response to Iranian aggression reveals a leadership driven more by fear and domestic troubles than coherent regional strategy
Op-eds
Turkey’s corridor dream won’t beat IMEC – but it could still reshape Eurasian trade
War has a way of redrawing maps – not just political ones, but commercial ones as well. The outbreak of conflict with Iran has disrupted longstanding trade arteries linking Asia to Europe, from Persian...
Op-eds
Iran Attacks U.S. Navy Vessels Transiting Strait of Hormuz
Iran Attacks U.S. Vessels: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on May 7 that “U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman.” The statement noted that “Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage. No U.S. assets were struck.” CENTCOM added that it had “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.”
Flash Briefs
Europe is writing itself out of the Middle East
The case for suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement on grounds of human rights is a powerful argument – as long as one doesn't look at what else Europe is doing in the region
Op-eds
Iran Strikes UAE, International Ships as Ceasefire Teeters
Iran Renews Attacks on the UAE: The United Arab Emirates condemned what it called “renewed terrorist, unprovoked Iranian attacks targeting civilian sites and facilities in the...
Flash Briefs
Data Centers, Telecommunications Networks, and Space-Based Systems
Modernizing DHS’s SRMA Role for the Communications and IT Sectors
Legislative Testimonies
Emirati Crown Prince’s Trip to China Underscores Importance of Petrodollar Dominance
Gulf energy exports have largely ground to a standstill, but the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remains open for business. Emirati Crown Prince Khaled Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan concluded a three-day visit...
Policy Briefs
Iran at a crossroads: Australia’s opportunities and pitfalls
Over the last few weeks, the Islamist regime in Tehran has expanded the scope of its hostage-taking operation. Not satisfied with only taking Western citizens hostage and then extorting their governments,...