Trump Doctrine 2.0: What It Means for the Middle East
Countries across the Middle East are making moves and preparing for President Donald Trump’s incoming United States administration. Many of the region’s leaders were in power during the first...
Qasem Soleimani
The role of Iraqi Shia militias as proxies in Iran’s Axis of Resistance
Iran’s 45-year trajectory from the Khomeini revolution to its current challenge to Israel, the West, and the Rules-Based International System (RBIS) led to developing and solidifying its “Axis...
Op-eds
‘Disengaging Armed Factions’: Tehran Recalculates Its Influence in Iraq
Tehran and Baghdad Discuss Regional Developments: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on January 8. The two leaders...
Flash Briefs
Iran-Backed Militias Face Crisis After Assad’s Fall in Syria
Four years ago, in January 2020, a US drone carried out a strike in Iraq near Baghdad International Airport, killing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force leader Qasem...
Op-eds
Tehran’s triad: propaganda, proxies, and preparedness
The regime in Tehran finds itself increasingly besieged by challenges, ranging from the faltering influence of its regional proxies to the prospect of an Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities, potentially...
Op-eds
The Shadow War
A review of Yonah Jeremy Bob and Ilan Evyatar, “Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination—and Secret Diplomacy—to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Create a New Middle East” (Simon & Schuster, 2023).
Op-eds
Assad’s Syria manipulated the region, will the new Syria do the same?
The question now is whether the new Syrian government will seek to try to play countries against each other or work to be a unifying and stabilizing force in the region
Op-eds
The Islamic State and Iran remain determined to attack the US
Despite the recent successes of federal law enforcement agencies, the number of attempted attacks underscores these adversaries’ determination. Since the October 8 arrest of an Afghan man...
Op-eds
Who will form the core of Jolani’s unified army?
Ahmad al Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), commonly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al Jolani, has unveiled a vision for post-Assad Syria. With HTS assuming control in the aftermath...
Op-eds
Syrian regime may lose Aleppo due to Iran’s failures
Up until several days ago, the Syrian regime believed its backers in Moscow and Tehran could keep it safe.
Op-eds
Israel kills wanted Hezbollah commander behind the establishment of Iraq’s Iran-backed militias
A recent Israeli airstrike in Syria killed Ali Mousa Daqduq, one of Hezbollah’s most wanted military leaders who served as the deputy commander of the Radwan Unit at the time of his death,...
Op-eds
The legacy of President Trump 2.0
Now is the time to think about what needs to be achieved
Op-eds
‘Maximum Pressure 2.0’: Washington Seeks to Restore Deterrence Against Tehran
The Tehran regime is already bristling at the prospect of a much tougher U.S. policy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran. Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi warned on November 12 that if the Trump administration...
Policy Briefs
Donald Trump: Back to the Future on Iran Policy
Tehran’s theocrats must be terrified. That’s a good thing. Despite the limited and lackluster commentary on Donald Trump’s electoral victory in the Iranian press and by officials, regime elites must now face the fact that the candidate they sought to kill is set to re-assume the presidency on January 20, 2025.
Op-eds
How will Iran’s proxies in Iraq respond to US election?
Iranian militias ramp up drone attacks on Israel, await US response post-election.
Op-eds
Hezbollah’s Unit 4400
On October 1, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the killing of Mohammad Jaafar Qasir, a high-value Hezbollah operative who commanded the group’s Unit 4400—the body responsible for transporting...
Op-eds
Naim Qassem’s inaugural speech as Hezbollah’s new secretary-general
One day after his surprise appointment as Hezbollah’s new secretary-general, Naim Qassem delivered his inaugural speech from that post—his fourth speech since Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination. Qassem’s...
Op-eds
The lights are still blinking red—Sunni Islamists and Iran are determined to attack the homeland
As the US election comes down the final stretch, the radical Islamic terrorism threat continues to metastasize—at home and abroad. On October 8, the FBI arrested an Afghan man who authorities...
Op-eds
‘Axis of Resistance’ or ‘Axis of Espionage?’ Iran’s struggles to staff leadership
The Kuwaiti Al-Jarida newspaper reported on October 13 that Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed the Quds Force deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard...
Op-eds
Israel eliminated Nasrallah’s successor
The Israeli army successfully assassinated Hashem Safieddine, the likely successor to Hezbollah’s veteran Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, whom Israel had also killed just two weeks ago....