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.
STRATEGIC PHILOSOPHY
EARLY WARNING | Change, When it is Seen to Appear, is Sudden
SOVEREIGNTY
CURRENT ESTIMATE | A Window of Opportunity Opens for the US in the Balkans
Events have conspired in the Eastern Mediterranean to open a new chapter of strategic opportunity for the United States, just as US-Turkish relations have moved into a profound downward direction.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
STRATEGIC TRAJECTORIES | Have Saudi Arabia and the UAE Found an Exit Plan from the Yemen War?
Neither the old “North Yemen” nor the old “South Yemen” have any leadership or specific plan. Both are fractured. Only Iran is making ground. And Beijing may be the hidden factor.
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.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
Khamene‘i Decides: Iran Will Confront the US and its Allies
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