March Is Women’s History Month, But Not in Iran
Hundreds of Iranian schoolgirls are falling ill from poisonings, suspected to be the work of extremist religious groups trying to instill fear and prevent participation in protests.
Cable News Network, Inc.
U.S., Allies Should Swiftly Penalize China for Supporting Russia’s War Against Ukraine
China is allegedly considering supplying Russia with lethal military assistance, including Shahed-like suicide drones and artillery ammunition. This assistance could have a significant impact on the battlefield...
Policy Briefs
EU, UK Impose New Sanctions on Iran as Protests Surge
The European Union and the United Kingdom on Monday imposed new sanctions to address Tehran’s brutal suppression of protests. The sanctions, which come in the wake of a fresh surge of demonstrations in Iran, target Iranian judges, lawmakers, and commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), among others. The sanctions also follow an announcement on Saturday by Iran International, a Farsi-language news channel, that it would relocate from London to Washington due to threats against its staff by Iranian agents. Nevertheless, the EU and the UK have stopped short of designating the IRGC itself as a terrorist organization, defying demands by the European Parliament and Iranian dissidents.
Flash Briefs
UN Votes to Remove Iran From Women’s Rights Commission
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) decided today by a vote of 29-8, with 16 abstentions, to remove Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The decision reflects women’s second-class status across the Islamic Republic. The rights of women have taken center stage in the protests now consuming Iran: The regime’s killing of 23-year-old Mahsa Amini, whom security forces had arrested for allegedly violating Tehran’s hijab laws, triggered the demonstrations now nearing their fourth month with no end in sight.
Flash Briefs
No, Iran didn’t ban morality police — it duped press, and Biden administration
For a few hours this past weekend, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism pulled off a global disinformation operation to undermine a popular revolt, falsely suggesting the regime in Tehran had...
Op-eds
Iran Arrests Niece of Supreme Leader as Death Toll of Protesters Mounts
The niece of Iran’s supreme leader called for the clerical regime’s downfall in a video statement that her brother posted online after Tehran’s security services arrested her last week. Comparing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Hitler and Mussolini, Farideh Moradkhani said in the video that other countries should cut ties with the “murderous and child-killing regime” in Tehran. Her arrest reflects Khamenei’s growing fears of ongoing protests in Iran, which constitute one of the greatest threats to the regime’s survival since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Flash Briefs
Iran Aids Russia’s Imperialist War Against Ukraine
Tehran has agreed to help Moscow produce hundreds or even thousands of Iranian drones in Russia, according to new intelligence reports cited by The Washington Post and CNN. This agreement could boost...
Op-eds
Truth or consequences
The Saudi crown prince has some legitimate grievances
Op-eds
Death Toll in Iran Protests Rises to 154 as Khamenei Blames U.S. for Uprising
Iran’s security forces have killed at least 154 protesters since nation-wide demonstrations began in mid-September. On Monday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, expressed full support for the security forces and blamed the United States and Israel for the unrest: “I say frankly that these incidents were designed by America, the fake Zionist regime, those who are on their payroll and some traitorous Iranians abroad who helped them.” President Joe Biden also issued a statement on Monday, warning, “the United States will be imposing further costs on the perpetrators of violence against peaceful protesters.” However, his administration remains publicly committed to the potential lifting of sanctions on those perpetrators via a new nuclear agreement — a policy contradiction the White House must address.
Flash Briefs
After Mar-a-Lago Raid, Conspiracy Theories Rage on Left, Too
On the left, the most pervasive and potent conspiracy theory is that Trump is collaborating with hostile foreign powers to damage the United States.
Op-eds
Beat the press
Reporters in Gaza have never been free and aren’t now
Op-eds
The Kremlin’s Latin American Echo Chamber
A trio of Spanish language media networks controlled by Iran, Russia, and Venezuela push out propaganda and disinformation to demonize the West.
Op-eds
The Pentagon’s new cybersecurity model is better, but still an incremental solution to a big challenge
The Pentagon announced in November a new “strategic direction” for its Cyber Maturity Model Certification, calling it CMMC 2.0 and essentially admitting the first iteration was overly complex and...
Op-eds
It’s Time to End CNN’s License for CNN Turk’s Hate Content
Turkish media recently reported that CNN International is sending a team to Turkey to “look into its Turkish branch’s broadcasting policy,” which has been “under fire for its...
Op-eds
Biden Creates His Own ‘Strategic Ambiguity’ on Taiwan
The White House had to walk back his remarks that ‘we have a commitment’ to defend Taiwan against China.
Op-eds
Afghanistan war critics blame Biden for the current chaos. They need to look in the mirror.
The tragedy’s primary cause was the decision to withdraw, not the way the withdrawal was conducted.
Op-eds
The Taliban Has a Military Solution for Afghanistan
As the Taliban and its al-Qaeda allies wage jihad to conquer Afghanistan, the Biden administration clings to the fanciful idea that a negotiated settlement to the war is possible. On Tuesday, State Department...
Op-eds
Only the Chinese Communist Party Knows the Origins of the COVID Pandemic
And it has been withholding, deflecting, and obfuscating the entire time.
Op-eds
What Red Line Tells Us About Syria’s Chemical Weapons
Book review: Joby Warrick’s book brings to life the history and reaction to Syria’s chemical weapons program and the difficulty in eliminating it.
Op-eds
It’s Time to Sanction Russia for Poisoning Alexei Navalny
In an essay in Foreign Affairs last year, Joe Biden, at the time a presidential candidate, did not mince words when it came to Russia. “We must impose real costs on Russia for its violations of...