SECURITY, UNREST & 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?
HARDWARE, WEAPONRY & TECHNOLOGY
CURRENT ESTIMATE | Ethiopia’s Naval Revival Has Global Ramifications
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
Yemen, the Unnecessary War
GOVERNANCE & ELECTIONS
CURRENT ESTIMATE | Iran Maneuvers to Face Internal, External Challenges
CULTURE, PSYCHOLOGY & MEDIA
Greater Syria: Can Wishing Make It So?
Historical fatalism, water and food shortages, and jihadism conspire to set the stage for a major conflict escalation based on “Greater Syria”. It is already underway.
Afghanistan
The Triumph of Belief: Persian Cæsar?
Not just Iran’s Cæsar abroad, Major-General Qasem Soleimani is finally being recognized as Iran’s “Man on Horseback”.