John Hannah

May 23, 2023 | Richard Goldberg |

The Road to Israel-Saudi Normalization Runs Through Washington

Open ties between the two nations are in everyone’s interest, but it will take serious intent and deft maneuvering from America to get there. Is the administration up to it?

January 26, 2021 | John Hannah, David Adesnik

Why “Anything But Trump” Should Not Be Biden’s Foreign Policy Mantra

Trump made many errors, but there are some policies that are worth building upon.

December 18, 2020 | John Hannah |

Biden Shouldn’t Rush to Restore the Iran Nuclear Deal

Moving quickly to resurrect the JCPOA, as Biden seems set to do, would start his presidency with a hugely divisive controversy.

November 30, 2020 | John Hannah, Varsha Koduvayur

Note to Mohammed bin Salman: Stop Digging Yourself Deeper

The Saudis need to get on Biden’s good side. Obvious places to start include releasing women’s rights activists.

October 22, 2020 | John Hannah, Behnam Ben Taleblu

The Trump Administration’s High-Stakes Gambit to Curtail Rocket Attacks in Iraq

In an unexpected announcement on October 10, a group of Iran-backed Shiite militia groups declared their intention to suspend forthwith their attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq, while conditioning the ceasefire’s...

September 4, 2020 | John Hannah |

The UAE-Israel Deal Spells Big Trouble For Iran

Watching Israel’s national carrier, El Al, make its maiden trip to the United Arab Emirates on Monday, including an overflight of Saudi Arabia, was itself history-making. The passenger list—a group...

August 14, 2020 | John Hannah |

The Israel-UAE Deal Is Trump’s First Unambiguous Diplomatic Success

It’s a historic achievement that eluded other presidents. Trump will try to make the most of it.

August 6, 2020 | John Hannah |

Destruction of Iranian Nuclear Facility Should Remind Democrats of Israel’s Unique Value as an Ally

An explosion at the Natanz nuclear complex on July 2 laid waste to the Iran Centrifuge Assembly Center (ICAC), a workshop designed to mass produce thousands of advanced centrifuges for enriching uranium....

July 6, 2020 | John Hannah |

UPDATE: COVID-19 In Iraq

Iraq’s luck with the coronavirus appears to have run out. Though it weathered the pandemic’s first two months better than anticipated, in recent weeks the virus has spread at an alarming rate. As Iraq’s...

June 29, 2020 | John Hannah |

The Clock Is Ticking on the Next Iran Nuclear Crisis

In early June, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released two reports on the Iranian nuclear program. They make for worrisome reading. A year into its decision to start breaching the constraints...

June 11, 2020 | John Hannah |

A Moment of Truth for U.S.-Iraq Relations

Today, the United States and Iraq will launch a strategic dialogue to discuss the future of their bilateral relationship. For Washington, the priority should be determining whether Iraq’s government...

June 8, 2020 | John Hannah, Varsha Koduvayur

Pensacola shooter’s al Qaeda link underscores need to hold Saudis to account

Five months after a Saudi military trainee killed three U.S. service members at a naval air station in Pensacola, Fla., the Department of Justice announced on May 18 that the gunman was no lone wolf...

May 23, 2020 | John Hannah, Jacob Nagel

U.S. Troops Are Vulnerable. Israeli Technologies Can Help

The recent U.S. decision to withdraw two Patriot missile defense batteries from Saudi Arabia has again highlighted how vulnerable U.S. interests in the Middle East remain to Iran’s growing arsenal of...

May 19, 2020 | John Hannah, Bradley Bowman

The Pentagon Tries to Pivot out of the Middle East—Again

Confusion over the removal of missiles and aircraft from Saudi Arabia could invite the aggression the United States is trying to avoid.

May 4, 2020 | John Hannah, Maseh Zarif

The U.S.-Iraqi Relationship Is Coming to a Head—and That’s a Good Thing

After 17 years, there is little love left between Washington and Baghdad. Upcoming talks may be the last opportunity to save their dysfunctional partnership.

April 17, 2020 | Jacob Nagel, John Hannah

COVID-19 and the Need for Enhanced U.S.-Israel Technology Cooperation

As its strategy to address the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to develop, the United States should not overlook the important role that its most scientifically advanced international allies could...

April 9, 2020 | John Hannah |

How Republicans View a Biden-Trump Race

Our contributors weigh in on Bernie Sanders’s departure from the U.S. presidential race—and what it means for an election campaign overshadowed by the coronavirus.

April 6, 2020 | John Hannah |

COVID-19 in Iraq

The timing of the COVID-19 outbreak in Iraq has been particularly unfortunate, arriving concurrently with several other major crises, including a collapse in world oil prices, the absence of a functioning...

April 2, 2020 | John Hannah, Varsha Koduvayur

A Deal to Stop the Saudis From Drowning U.S. Shale Would Come None Too Soon

Trump has finally realized the U.S. energy industry is under attack. Better late than never.

March 23, 2020 | John Hannah |

New Iraqi Prime Minister-Designate Poses Threat to Iran, Opportunity for U.S.

The March 17 nomination of Adnan al-Zurfi as Iraq’s prime minister-designate highlights the extent to which Iran’s stranglehold on Iraqi politics could be eroding. As such, Zurfi’s nomination holds...