STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
Central Asia as the New Indo-Pacific Power
The Central Asian states may finally find cohesion … and warm water ports in the Indian Ocean.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
Iran Crosses a Threshold to Secure Regional Power
Iran’s leadership is confident it has succeeded in deterring the US from attack, and that Iran has now secured regional dominance as the US, it believes, winds down in the Persian Gulf.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
Yemen Starts to Fracture, But is the Biggest Strategic Loss to the US?
The differentiation between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the UAE and Oman … the impact on Bahrain … the uncertainties of the proposed pax Russo-Sinica in the Gulf … the prospect of a new opening for the US …
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.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
Iran: The Art of the Bazaar Deal
US Pres. Donald Trump tried his “Art of the Deal” approach to get Iranian leaders to the negotiating table. But Iran’s clerical leader has adopted a different approach, designed to ensure the continuation of the leadership, even if it means suffering through a war.
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...
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.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
Moving Beyond Strategic Distractions
The deep and intractable humanitarian morass of the Yemen conflict has diverted attention away from the broader strategic framework, with serious consequences.
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
A New “Middle Eastern Entente” Shakes Moscow and Washington
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
STRATEGIC TRAJECTORIES | Changes in the Indian Ocean at the Core of the “New Balance”
Could the UK soon lose sovereignty over Diego Garcia? If so, the US would lose another key base in the Indo-Pacific. And how are Oman and Qatar planning for the future? Could the US even project force again into a major Afghan operation, or into Iraq?