The regime’s latest atrocity was spurred by clear military motivations, and the situation will likely worsen as the army begins a wider ground campaign against rebel strongholds in Idlib province. In claiming that the Syrian army was not responsible for the April 4 chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun, Russia has argued that the Assad regime… Keep reading →
Assad’s track record indicates that he will likely continue challenging the chemical redline, and that additional strikes and other pressures may be necessary to deter him from doing so. In the early morning hours of April 7, the United States launched fifty-nine Tomahawk cruise missiles from two destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean against al-Shayrat Air… Keep reading →
Iran’s budget and banking system are being held hostage by unaccountable revolutionary institutions like the IRGC, but for some reason the IMF is not calling Tehran out on the glaring lack of transparency. On February 27, the International Monetary Fund released its annual report about the Iranian economy. The report is important not only for… Keep reading →
Talks this week with the Saudi deputy crown prince are expected to cover current issues including Iran, “radical Islamic terrorism,” Syria, and Yemen, as well as perspectives on the longer-term future of the Middle East. The visit by thirty-one-year-old Prince Muhammad bin Salman, a son of King Salman, who turns eighty-one this year and is… Keep reading →
The circumstances of the Russian-sponsored peace conference raise several concerns, but failure to participate could signal acquiescence to Moscow’s plans in Syria and further U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East. On January 23, Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, will host a conference on Syria sponsored by Russia, Iran, and Turkey. The meeting’s timing, locale, invite… Keep reading →
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Ahn Chong-ghee, Co-Chairs of the U.S.-ROK High Level Bilateral Commission (HLBC), met in Washington, D.C. last week to review the HLBC’s ongoing activities. The HLBC was established by the 2015 U.S.-ROK “Agreement… Keep reading →
Helping Erdogan take the city could greatly decrease the civilian death toll and preserve U.S.-Turkish cooperation in Syria, but Washington will still need to decide what to do with the Kurds, its other key ally against the Islamic State. Note: Click on images for high-resolution versions. On January 5, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened… Keep reading →
The secretary’s latest remarks beg the question: at a time when Israelis and Palestinians are clearly unable to strike a grand deal, why not put ideology aside, jettison the administration’s all-or-nothing approach, and lay out more modest parameters on settlements, incitement, and other concrete issues? In the waning days of the Obama administration, Secretary of… Keep reading →
On October 27, Bruce Hoffman and Matthew Levitt addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute as part of the Stein Counterterrorism Lecture Series. Hoffman directs the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University and formerly served on the Independent Commission to Review the FBI’s Post-9/11 Response to Terrorism and Radicalization. Levitt is the Institute’s… Keep reading →
Along with Iran’s heightened anti-American rhetoric and local naval deployments, the recent Houthi missile attacks against U.S. vessels raise fears that Tehran’s clients may take the war into a new and more dangerous phase. As the Yemen war enters its twentieth month, the fighting has escalated beyond the country’s confines, with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels firing… Keep reading →
