BRICS

May 29, 2025 | Lydia LaFavor, Ryan Brobst, Bradley Bowman

‘Accelerated Cooperation’ Between U.S. Adversaries: New Report Warns

America’s authoritarian adversaries are growing bolder as they expedite and increase their security cooperation. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) released the 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment (WWTA)...

May 19, 2025 | Elaine K. Dezenski, Max Meizlish

Trump’s warm welcome for white refugees was a diplomatic shot across South Africa’s bow

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa landed in Washington Monday with blood on his hands — at least that’s how many Americans see it. Ramaphosa’s treatment of white farmers in...

April 16, 2025 | Clifford D. May |

A ‘Reverse Kissinger’ would be a fool’s errand

Vladimir Putin’s interests align with those of Xi Jinping

March 7, 2025 | David May |

Embracing Iran, South Africa’s ANC Claims ‘We Can’t Hide Our Friends’

South Africa’s ruling party is trying to have its biltong and eat it too. African National Congress (ANC) leaders have indicated a desire to repair relations with the United States but continue cozying...

March 5, 2025 | Jonathan Schanzer |

Bridging the Gap

Turkey Between East and West

February 24, 2025 | Max Meizlish, Alexander St. Leger

Risking Sanctions, South Africa Welcomes Nuclear Cooperation with Russia and Iran

South Africa is on a collision course with President Donald Trump. On February 17, Pretoria’s minister of mineral and petroleum resources, Gwede Mantashe, signaled his government’s openness to nuclear...

January 31, 2025 | Jonathan Schanzer, Mariam Wahba

Will Egypt’s President Become Trump’s Least Favorite Dictator?

Hours after President Donald Trump revealed plans to ask Egypt to enable Palestinian refugees looking to escape the war to enter the Sinai Peninsula from Gaza, Cairo’s Foreign Ministry issued a...

December 31, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Russia enters 2025 at a crossroads in a post-Assad Middle East

Having lost it's Syrian ally in the former Assad regime, Russia is shifting forces from Syria to other places.

December 19, 2024 | Peter Doran, Ivana Stradner

Trump must counter Vladimir Putin’s coming deception games — here’s how

Vladimir Putin’s regime is readying a new bag of diplomatic tricks for the second Trump administration, as the Kremlin angles to lure Trump’s incoming national-security team into helping...

December 9, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iran is trying to spin Syria crisis for its benefit

Iran is pushing several narratives via state media, including blaming US and Israel for toppling Assad regime, and turning to Russia and other countries.

November 30, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Syrian regime may lose Aleppo due to Iran’s failures

Up until several days ago, the Syrian regime believed its backers in Moscow and Tehran could keep it safe.

November 21, 2024 | Dmitriy Shapiro |

Eyeing Turkey, Greece Seeks Deal With Israel to Develop Iron Dome-like Air Defenses

Israeli military technology has showcased its effectiveness during more than a year of conflict, and other countries have taken notice. On November 14, Greek officials revealed that Athens was seeking...

November 16, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

From bluster to railways: Iran tones down talk of attacking Israel

The regime has appeared to shift gears, at least in rhetoric, since the US election on November 5.

November 10, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iran attempts to insulate itself from possible Trump sanctions

With Trump returning to office, Iran is likely concerned it could be under “maximum pressure” again with the using sanctions and other methods to cut off Tehran’s economy.

November 7, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iran deepens Central Asia ties amid shift away from western economies

The talks with Central Asian states come after a recent BRICS meeting that Iran attended.

October 30, 2024 | Boaz Golany, Jacob Nagel

North Korean Troops in Ukraine: Are We on the Path to World War III?

A new version of the defunct Warsaw Pact is emerging in front of our eyes. With Russia and China as its two major driving forces, joined by regional powers such as North Korea and Iran, that brings with it its proxy terror organizations.

October 29, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Iran’s military budget is growing: What does that mean for the Middle East?

Iran wants to increase the accuracy of its range and the overall number of its ballistic missiles.

October 26, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

The key takeaways from Israel’s strikes on Iran

Iran now feels it can launch ballistic missiles at Israel whenever it wants.

October 26, 2024 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Israel strikes Iran: Is deterrence the key to prevent an all-out war?

The ball is now back in Tehran's court - if Iran is not deterred, further escalation may occur.

October 25, 2024 | Ivana Stradner |

Putin’s summit triumph is a warning shot to the old world order

It is essential Western leaders remind Moscow’s allies that the model Russia upholds leads to poverty and horror, not prosperity