Panama
Maximum Pressure on Tehran Regime in Motion as Trump Builds Negotiating Leverage
Sanctions don’t impede negotiations; they help set the terms. The Treasury Department sanctioned the China-based Shandong Shengxing Chemical Co. oil refinery on April 16 for purchasing some $800 million...
Policy Briefs
Russia and China to Discuss Iranian Nuclear Program Following Joint Naval Drills
UK Threatens Sanctions Snapback on Iran: Deputy foreign ministers from Russia and China will meet in Beijing on March 14 to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. The meeting comes...
Flash Briefs
Treasury Sanctions Iranian Proxies Smuggling Commodities
The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting entities affiliated with Iranian proxy terrorist groups in Yemen and Lebanon engaged in the smuggling of Iranian commodities....
Flash Briefs
Top Shipping Company Warns of Global Impact of Houthi Attacks on Vessels in Red Sea
Latest Developments Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) said on July 17 that the consequences of diverting ships away from the Red Sea to avoid attacks launched by Iranian-backed Houthi...
Flash Briefs
Post-Biden, we must secure the border to address the looming national-security threat
Just two days after that 50 ISIS-linked illegal migrants were on the loose somewhere in the United States, President Biden dismissed the threat of terrorists entering our...
Op-eds
Iran’s Raisi joins long list of political leaders involved in mysterious crashes
It isn't expected that presidents should go missing or be involved in crashes. However, historically, a number of important political and military leaders have met their end in crashes.
Op-eds
Houthis Target Ships Linked to Israel
The leader of the Houthis announced on May 8 that the Yemen-based, Iran-backed rebel group would target “ships of any company related to supplying or transporting goods to Israel...
Flash Briefs
U.S., UK Sanction Iranian Deputy Commander and Houthi Member
The United States and the United Kingdom jointly sanctioned an Iranian military official and a member of the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group on February 28. In a statement, the...
Flash Briefs
Hezbollah’s Terror Threat In Latin America
In the land of symmetrical war, the asymmetrical warrior is king. The U.S. and Israeli governments are rightly concerned that Hezbollah – Iran’s oldest and best-armed proxy – could open a second front in the Israel-Hamas conflict. But who says Hezbollah would limit itself to striking U.S. or Israeli targets in the Middle East?
For decades, Hezbollah has patiently built a global web of networks, engaged in illicit financial activities, and supported terrorist plots. Hezbollah and Iran have repeatedly struck at Israeli, Jewish, and other Western targets overseas. Latin America is a region of particular concern in this respect, for several reasons.
Emanuele Ottolenghi is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Op-eds
Treasury sanctions Hezbollah’s network in Colombia, but what took so long?
The Biden administration wants to create the impression it is finally getting tough on Hezbollah, the Lebanese terror group and Iranian proxy. The Treasury Department’s sanctions last...
Op-eds
Upcoming Paraguayan Election a Bellwether for Taiwan’s International Standing
The outcome of this month’s hotly contested Paraguayan election will likely determine whether Asuncion maintains diplomatic relations with Taipei or switches recognition to Beijing, a move that would...
Policy Briefs
China in Our Backyard: How Chinese Money Laundering Organizations Enrich the Cartels
More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in November 2022.1 The Biden administration noted that “most of these deaths are caused by illicit synthetic drugs like clandestinely manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine, often in combination with other drugs, including cocaine and heroin.”2 These deaths increased during the Trump administration and continue to increase today. This is simultaneously a national and local challenge. More Americans die every two weeks on average from overdose deaths than died as a result of the September 11 terror attacks, making this both a national security and a public health crisis that requires bipartisanship to meet the challenge.
Congressional Testimonies
AUKUS Special Operations Forces in Strategic Competition, Integrated Deterrence, and Campaigning: Resistance to Malign Activities
On September 15, 2021, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States formed AUKUS(Open Link in new window), which is described as a trilateral security partnership designed to make it easier to...
Op-eds
Turkey Could Become the Middle East’s Next Narco-State
If Turkey joins Syria and Lebanon as the third narco-state in the Eastern Mediterranean, this will only compound the region’s trafficking and money laundering problems, while also presenting illicit non-state actors greater opportunities to exploit.
Op-eds
The new conquistadores
U.S. adversaries are becoming South American hegemons
Op-eds
Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: Late June
Policy Tracker
Underwriting Hezbollah Inc.
By funding the failed Lebanese state and lifting sanctions on Iran, the United States is partnering with the world’s deadliest crime syndicate
Op-eds
Shifting Cocaine Routes Turn U.S. Ally Paraguay Into Main Transit Country
German law enforcement earlier this week announced a record seizure of cocaine that had been smuggled in from Paraguay. The interdiction adds to a growing body of evidence indicating that Paraguay is fast...