ECONOMICS & BUSINESS
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
STRATEGIC TRAJECTORIES | Turkey Attempts Stand-Alone Power Status, But…
Erdogan is rapidly running out of options, and allies. His only firm ally is Qatar; his relationships with Russia, Iran, and China are hedged with mutual distrust and caution. Indeed, the question should increasingly be asked: Does Erdogan actually have a power base absent MIT?
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
Pivot: Did NATO’s Serbian War Set the Stage for the Decline of Western Power?
Is the US only now starting to regain some of an element of strategic military impetus after the peaking of its capabilities and prestige became evident with the Clinton War against Serbia in 1999? The war spurred Beijing and Moscow into reviewing their defenses.
ECONOMICS & BUSINESS
State of the World: Parlous, Transforming, Yet in Some Ways Stabilizing, Optimistic
The optimism may be hard to find, but the fact that crisis is now clearly upon us gives a certain clarity.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
Iran Between Temptation and Desperation
A significant impact is likely on world energy markets over 2020 along with escalation of attacks by Iranian-backed units against US and other targets following the killing of Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani.
SOVEREIGNTY
EN CLAIR | Beijing Reaps the African Whirlwind
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
A Chinese Dawn Over the Persian Gulf
Saudi Arabia and the UAE move away from the US. Iran cements its ties with Beijing and Moscow. It’s another major stage in a very new Middle East.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
The “Tanker War”, The Great Powers, and the Future
Russia, the People’s Republic of China, and the US were maneuvering in, around, and through Iran during the Spring and Summer of 2019. Here, Senior Editor Yossef Bodansky discusses much of the detail leading up to the denouement of a multi-tiered great game.
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
Iran Prepares for All Eventualities…Including Negotiations
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a sudden, unscheduled visit to Baghdad on May 7, 2019, meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and President Barham Salih. But he is also reported to have met a very senior Iranian official...
CRIME & CORRUPTION
EN CLAIR | Increased Capability But Decreased Security in the Gulf of Guinea
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
Persian Phoenix?
Iran has rejected pressures from Moscow and Beijing not to surge to dominate the Middle East. Where does this leave all the other players?
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
The Middle East Returns to Itself?
And how the Trump-Sisi summit marked a significant further decline in Washington’s influence in the region.