Pakistan

Zero Shells for $533 Million

Turkey’s Expanding Stake in America’s Munitions Base On Aug. 12, ProPublica documented what the Pentagon’s inspector general had already confirmed in July: a Texas plant built...

Why a Saudi Nuclear Program Is Not Worth Ending US Nonproliferation Policy

It is unlikely that Russia or China would be willing to support a Saudi nuclear program if the United States refuses to do so.

Resistance to Taliban rule persists in Afghanistan

As the Taliban’s reign over Afghanistan enters its sixth year, the Taliban remains stronger, more unified, and better equipped than it was before September 11, 2001. Today, its flag flies across all...

UN report: The jihad’s new center of gravity

The Saudi Choice That Will Reshape the Middle East

Two possible paths, one pro-American, one not. Where will the Kingdom go?

Yemen on the Brink of a Return to Civil War

When the Houthis in Yemen entered the conflict between the United States and Iran on July 20 by announcing a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, it spelled danger in the Red Sea. Now, it appears Yemenis...

The Mecca Defense Pact Looks Toothless. That Doesn’t Mean It’s Harmless.

The emerging Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan alliance threatens to trigger regional realignment.

From Guantanamo Bay to ISCAP: The case of Jamal Kiyemba

On August 3, Jamal Kiyemba, a Ugandan who previously resided in the United Kingdom, was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison in Kampala for his support of the Allied Democratic Forces...

Afghan United Front commences operations against Taliban

On August 1, a new anti-Taliban resistance group emerged in Afghanistan. After years of hinting at military operations, the Afghan United Front (AUF), led by former Afghan National Army Lieutenant...

Saudis gravitate toward Middle East basket cases when it should join US’ fight against Iran

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly called President Trump on Saturday and implored him to hold off on striking the Islamic Republic of Iran. Trump acquiesced and punted...

U.S. Targets Iran’s Hormuz Extortion but Leaves Foreign Financial Enablers Untouched

Tehran faced two rounds of new U.S. sanctions in as many days. On July 29 and July 30, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued back-to-back sanctions targeting the...

If the Saudis want a nuclear arsenal, Trump’s new deal might just give it to them

President Donald Trump made waves the day after his administration announced a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia. He conditioned the deal on Riyadh joining the Abraham...

The Houthis Are Hitting Saudi Arabia’s Energy Pipeline — and Here’s Why That Matters

Saudi Arabia has weathered Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz by relying on its east-west pipeline to send crude from the kingdom’s energy-rich eastern province to the Red Sea terminal...

Turkey’s Cautious Bid for Regional Power

The difference in how Turkey treats Greece and Israel illustrates its diplomatic and military strategy.

Why Hasn’t Washington Pressed Qatar To Extradite Terrorists?

Qatar needs to cooperate with U.S. extradition efforts.

Iran renews attacks on Kurdish Iranian opposition groups in Iraq

Iran increased attacks on the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq in mid-July as the US continued to carry out renewed airstrikes on Iran. By July 2, the US had conducted 10...

Kazakhstan Bets on Iranian Port Investment

Landlocked Kazakhstan is seeking port access, and Astana is banking on Iran to provide it. On July 8, Kazakhstan signed an agreement to build a logistics and transport terminal at Iran’s largest seaport...

The forgotten history of Muslim socialism 

A century of failed experiments before the rise of Mamdani and friends

U.S. Quietly Shelves Proposed Hezbollah ‘Deconfliction Mechanism’

The new U.S.-brokered Israel-Lebanon framework has its strengths and weaknesses. But one immediate and unequivocal benefit is that it buries the misguided idea that Hezbollah should have a seat at the...

The Deal With Tehran Comes at the Expense of Iranians

As Washington negotiates, Tehran executes. Iran’s judiciary announced on June 22 that authorities had arrested more than 3,000 people since the start of the conflict on charges of collaborating with...