Just hours before Pyongyang claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb, Iran unveiled another underground facility and showed off North Korean-designed long-range missiles. Evidence of North Korea’s January 6 nuclear test is still being analyzed, but already there is doubt about whether it was a powerful hydrogen bomb, as Pyongyang has claimed. Rather, it was… Keep reading →
Washington must act promptly to prevent the execution of a Saudi Shiite leader and the Riyadh-Tehran diplomatic break from imperiling the fight against the Islamic State and the Iran nuclear accord. News of the January 2 execution of forty-seven men accused of terrorist offenses in Saudi Arabia was applauded within Saudi Arabia and by the… Keep reading →
U.S.-led diplomatic efforts had aimed to make up for the recent lack of military progress and stave off a humanitarian crisis, but a deadly rebel attack could threaten the planned ceasefire. On December 14, a missile attack in Yemen killed or injured scores of personnel fighting the Iranian-backed alliance of Houthi rebels and forces supporting… Keep reading →
A yes vote is important not just for the expected increase in tactical effectiveness it would bring on the Syrian battlefield, but also for signaling that the strategic alliance within the EU and between Europe and the United States is seamless. On December 2, the British Parliament is expected to vote on whether to broaden… Keep reading →
On November 4, Joby Warrick, Will McCants, and Aaron Zelin addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Warrick has covered national security, intelligence, and the Middle East for the Washington Post since 1996. McCants is a fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy and director of the Project on U.S. Relations with the… Keep reading →
Following their latest visit to Egypt, the former congressman and White House counsel who constitute an Institute task force shared their views on the country’s leadership, economy, and prospects for better ties with Washington. On November 5, 2015, Vin Weber and Gregory B. Craig addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute covering their recent… Keep reading →
New Russian airstrikes in the south could portend a wider regime, Hezbollah, and Iranian ground campaign there, potentially violating Israel’s Golan redline and exacerbating Jordan’s refugee problems. On October 28, for the first time since Moscow began its air campaign in Syria, Russian jets reportedly targeted rebel forces in the south. The strikes focused on… Keep reading →
After months of bureaucratic foul-ups, Israel may be close to approving a new regulatory framework to develop its offshore natural gas resources, but another political fumble could have dire economic repercussions. In the coming weeks, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu will reportedly seek to win support for regulatory changes intended to break a political logjam… Keep reading →
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), intended to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program will be directed toward exclusively peaceful purposes, went into effect October 18, 2015.
The missile strikes on targets in Syria showed unprecedented cooperation between Russia and Iran, but they also serve as a wakeup call to Tehran about Moscow’s expanding military profile in the Caspian. On October 7, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its warships had fired twenty-six cruise missiles from the central Caspian Sea at eleven… Keep reading →
