The Druze Test: A Deep Dive into Why Israel is Bombing Syria Again
Israel’s Druze Test in Syria On July 16, the Israel Defense Forces carried out airstrikes in the heart of Damascus. The IDF said it had targeted Syria’s military headquarters and...
Bahrain
As American Scrutiny of Muslim Brotherhood Increases, Lawmakers Overlook Qatar’s Support of the Extremist Group
The organization is a decentralized, transnational Islamist movement dedicated to the mission of establishing a global caliphate.
Op-eds
Israel: Now the Dominant Military Power in the Middle East?
Israel: A Regional Hegemon with Iran Defeated? In the wake of Israel’s surprise attack on Iran on June 13, it has become clear that Israel’s military is now among the strongest in the Middle East....
Op-eds
Victory over Iran gives Trump the chance to reshape Mid East with trade deals
Israel’s decisive victory over Iran’s Islamist regime has set Tehran’s nuclear plans back years at the least. It has also created a unique opening to normalize ties between Jerusalem...
Op-eds
Khomeini’s war: Sunni Islamists taught Shia Iran to hate Israel
The ayatollahs adopted the Muslim Brotherhood’s worldview to make the destruction of the Jewish state the regime’s holy cause. The Shia leadership in Najaf now has the chance to return the Shia world to pacifism
Op-eds
Iran Launches Missiles at U.S Airbase in Qatar in Retaliation for Weekend Strike on Nuclear Facilities
Iran Attacks U.S. Base: Iran launched several short and medium-range ballistic missiles on June 23 at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle...
Flash Briefs
Iran launches missile attack on US base in Qatar
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) conducted a missile attack on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American military facility in the Middle East and the forward headquarters...
Op-eds
How might Iran retaliate against the US?
Few Iranian officials have responded publicly to the US strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear sites on June 21—an understandable silence, given that many leaders have either been eliminated by...
Op-eds
Why Are Gulf Countries Not Speaking Out Against Their Rival Iran?
Since 1979, Iran has been a problem for Arab Gulf capitals. Tehran has exported its radical Islamism and terrorism across the region, built loyalist militias, agitated popular opinion against Gulf governments,...
Op-eds
Israel targets nuclear sites, Iran appoints new officials (June 19 updates)
Israel has expanded its military campaign against Iran with targeted strikes on nuclear facilities, missile infrastructure, and security institutions. Leadership changes within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary...
Op-eds
Options for Designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist Organization
Once again a Trump administration is debating whether or not to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. The last time around, during Trump’s first term, the effort petered out amidst...
Op-eds
Why Dismantling Iran’s Nuclear Program Doesn’t Mean War
When confronted with a firm United States, Iran has remained largely restrained to avoid provoking direct military confrontation.
Op-eds
What Qatar wants, Qatar gets
How a tiny but extraordinarily wealthy emirate buys influence
Op-eds
Lebanon Should Take a Cue from al-Sharaa – and Talk to Israel
A joke has it that Syria’s self-proclaimed president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, offered to build a Trump Tower in Damascus to make up for the two New York towers that Al-Qaeda, al-Sharaa former organization,...
Op-eds
Abraham Accords Are Focus of Reported Israel-Syria Talks
Latest Developments Israeli, Syrian Officials Meet: Israel is reportedly holding talks with Syrian officials, even raising the possibility of Damascus joining the Abraham Accords — a series of bilateral...
Flash Briefs
President Trump meets with a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, lifts sanctions on Syria
President Donald Trump met with Syrian interim president Ahmad al Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al Jolani, a US and UN-designated terrorist and the former leader of Hayat Tahrir al Sham,...
Op-eds
Iran braces for possible US attack amid proxy setbacks
An anonymous Iranian official told Reuters on April 6 that Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has instructed Iranian armed forces to be on high alert. The source also said Tehran has...
Op-eds
Arsenal of Democracy
Arming Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel While Strengthening the U.S. Industrial Base
Monographs
‘They Are Sitting Inside a Glass Room’: Citing U.S. Threats, Iran Puts Army on High Alert
Latest Developments Iran Fears U.S. Strikes: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei placed his country’s military on its highest alert level, fearing potential strikes by the United States,...
Flash Briefs
Lebanon Must Relearn Democracy, Debate Peace with Israel
Druze lawmaker Wael Abou-Faour said that U.S. officials have broached the subject of peace between Lebanon and Israel with top Lebanese leaders, but argued that peace would spark clashes...