Middle East

The UN secretary-general race is steeped in intrigue. Should we care?

Like it or not, the United States and the State of Israel have to deal with the world body.

Syria hosts Iraqi PM for visit amid security challenges in north and south

Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi to Damascus on October 28, marking Zaidi’s first trip to Syria. Sharaa described the meeting as a historic opportunity for...

Congress should block Trump’s dangerous Saudi nuclear deal

Behind the scenes of U.S. midterm races, another campaign is quietly taking shape. Congress is poised to vote on the Trump administration’s proposed nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, with...

Washington Should Not Push Europe Back Toward Russian Gas

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to recover the revenue Russia lost from its decline in gas exports to Europe. In a reversal of longstanding U.S. policy, Washington is trying to help him. At the...

Iraq juggles border security and ties with Iran, Syria, and Jordan

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi traveled to Jordan on October 26 for a series of meetings with Jordanian officials. Among the topics discussed was a desire to “increase cooperation and coordination...

Israel’s moment of truth: Knesset election pivotal to future US-Israel relationship

Israel must make some crucial decisions about its own conduct. The fate of the US-Israel alliance could hang in the balance.

Turkey and Pakistan Loop Qatar and Indonesia Into Burgeoning Defense Axis

The Mecca Pact gained a cousin on Wednesday when two of its signatories — Turkey and Pakistan — announced a new defense agreement with Qatar and Indonesia. The Badr Memorandum of Understanding (MOU),...

Brink: Inside America’s Confrontation with Iran

Protests break out in Syria against ‘Israeli incursions and attacks’ as tensions rise

Protests took place in Syria on October 23 as Syrians condemned “Israeli incursions and attacks,” according to Syrian state media. The protests came a day after Syrians claimed an unarmed civilian...

Iraq’s Currency Crisis Exposes the Economic Cost of Iran’s Endless Wars

As Baghdad devalues the dinar and Gulf governments confront mounting fiscal pressures, the Middle East faces a reckoning over oil dependence, Iranian proxy warfare, and the economic cost of perpetual conflict.

Washington Should Resist Russia’s Gulf Mediation Bid

As Iranian attacks in the Persian Gulf return to wartime highs and Saudi Arabia faces deadly strikes on its infrastructure from the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states...

Egypt May Finally Step Up Against the Houthis

After nearly three years of staying out of the wars in the Middle East, Egypt may finally be ready to engage. On October 18, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged to provide Saudi Arabia with...

Foreign Funding and Influence in America’s K-12 Education System

Remarks before the Congressional Ukraine Caucus

Iran says it has agreement with Iraq to expel Kurdish Iranian opposition groups

On October 20, Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al Sadegh said that Iraq has agreed to “expel the elements of the Iranian separatist terrorist groups from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq or to...

Deepening Black Sea Crisis Demands US Involvement

Russian strikes on Black Sea shipping are probing NATO’s tolerance for attacks on allies. The US and Europe must reinforce the region.

Sending Syrian Soldiers to Yemen Would Be a Mistake

Washington and Riyadh risk sacrificing Syrian stability by pressuring Damascus to join their war.

The Russian Milblogger Arrested in Montenegro Is a Kremlin Stalking Horse

For years, Russia has treated the Balkans as a battleground for its geopolitical ambitions, exploiting ethnic divisions, fueling tensions, and challenging Western influence. Now, Montenegro is pushing...

The Next War of Attrition is in Yemen

Battlefield dynamics in Yemen shift quickly, but Houthi aims do not. A movement organized around radical ideology and perpetual conflict now shares a border with a state organized around modernization...

Iraqi commander killed by Islamic State following Iraqi airstrikes against the group

Iraqi Army Brigadier General Ahat Yasser Khudair Hussein, Commander of the 11th Infantry Division’s Communications Directorate, was killed in a bombing linked to the Islamic State, Iraq’s Ministry...