Mr. President, here’s your next Iran speech
With a final offer – and a final warning – to Tehran
Iraq
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
Iraqi security forces and politicians react to reports of ‘secret’ Israeli base
Iraqi politicians and security forces have responded to a May 9 report in The Wall Street Journal claiming that “Israel built and defended a secret Iran war base in Iraq.” The news provoked...
Op-eds
Iraqi Corruption Is Fueling Iranian Sanctions Evasion
Iran-backed militias work through politicians, front companies, and oil smugglers to siphon billions of dollars from the Iraqi people each year in schemes to enrich both themselves and the Islamic Republic...
Policy Briefs
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
SADAT: Turkey’s Wagner Group
The SADAT International Defense Consultancy has grown into a key instrument of Turkish influence in Africa and the Middle East.
Op-eds
The Dangerous Failure to Hold Hamas Accountable for Using Human Shields
How international institutions’ silence on Hamas hiding behind civilians incentivizes human shields use, and distorts law and accountability.
Op-eds
Iran targets Kurdish Iranian opposition groups in northern Iraq
Two Kurdish Iranian opposition groups claimed they were targeted by Iranian attacks on May 5 and 6. The Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran...
Op-eds
Iran’s rulers are true believers
That’s why they’re so difficult to deter or constrain
Op-eds
Iraq Is Envisioning New Oil Pipelines — But They Are Likely a Pipe Dream
Iraq’s reliance on oil exports through the now-closed Strait of Hormuz may spell financial disaster for Baghdad, which has limited options to avert a crisis. More than 94 percent of Iraq’s oil exports...
Insights
US offers rewards for 3 Iraqi militia leaders
On April 27, the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program offered a $10 million reward for information on Haydar Muzhir Malak al Saidi, the leader of Harakat Ansar Allah al Awfiya,...
Op-eds
Why Iraq’s Politics Haven’t Changed
Iraq’s latest prime minister designate, Ali al-Zaidi, is an embodiment of the corruption that has held Iraq hostage for over 20 years.
Op-eds
U.S. Signals Approval of New Iraqi Prime Minister-Designate Selected by Pro-Tehran Bloc
More than five months after its national elections, Iraq may finally have a new leader. On April 27, Iraqi President Nizar Amedi named Ali al-Zaidi,...
Policy Briefs
Rubio is Right, a Vetted and Trained Lebanese Army Could be the Answer
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made an important announcement when he said that Washington is developing a plan to pursue Hezbollah’s disarmament by building up trusted units within the Lebanese...
Op-eds
Reopening the Strait Is Now Job One in the Iran War
The regime has concluded that the ability to control the route is its ticket to survival and rejuvenation.
Op-eds
Time To Bury OPEC
OPEC is dying. The announcement by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that it will leave the cartel effective May 1 may be the fatal blow. As OPEC’s third-largest producer, the UAE’s exit follows Qatar’s...
Policy Briefs
What would Thomas Jefferson do?
America’s third president understood that jihadis don’t make good deals
Op-eds
Trump Strikes at China’s Iranian Oil Trade, but It’s Not Enough
The bombs may have stopped falling on Iran — for now — but that doesn’t mean the regime isn’t still under attack, including its illicit oil trade with China. The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday...
Policy Briefs
Iranian-Linked Militias in Iraq Threaten U.S. Dollar Flows to the Baghdad Government
The United States has been flying cash — around $400-$500 million at a time — to Baghdad for decades. However, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the U.S. Treasury had partially suspended...
Policy Briefs
Iraq nominates little-known businessman to be next prime minister
The Coordination Framework (CF), a coalition of Iraqi Shiite parties that is the largest bloc in the country’s parliament, announced on April 27 that it is nominating Ali al Zaidi for prime...