Decades of tensions with Iran culminated in the short but sharp 12-Day War in June. The United States and Israel won the battle, but this is just one round in the war Tehran still intends to win. Iran’s atomic infrastructure…
In Syria, the southwestern governorate of al-Suwayda is collapsing under shortages of food, water, and fuel. The Druze, who follow a heterodox religion which is an offshoot of Islam, are the majority in al-Suwayda, with smaller communities of Sunni Muslim…
Excerpt below: The Middle East is often written off as a costly distraction from more pressing priorities. But in a global environment that is more complex, demanding and volatile than any point in decades, reenvisioning our Middle East partnerships can…
President Trump made sure to thank Qatar for helping get his Gaza ceasefire. Yet amid the negotiations leading up to this deal, and even if it completely ends the war, his decision to give Doha a formal security guarantee will undermine his broader…
For too long, the Houthis have disrupted global trade, undermining a vital US national security interest. Their campaign of attacks over the Red Sea, fueled by Iranian-supplied weapons, has continued for nearly two years, despite sporadic US strikes and intensifying Israeli…
Drones are increasingly prominent features of modern warfare, both expendable and hard to detect. The drone that struck Israel’s Ramon Airport on Sept. 7 was just one of thousands the country has faced from the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran. Drones have been…
Two of the world’s most dangerous insurgent groups—Yemen’s Houthis and Somalia’s al-Shabaab—are now working together across the Gulf of Aden. Their operational alliance is already stretching U.S. forces thin across two theaters, exploiting the seam between U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)…
“They cannot do a damn thing.” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s choice words mocking American diplomats in June helped precipitate Israeli and, eventually, U.S. strikes later that very month. This same attitude encouraged the recent “snapback” of tough sanctions on Iran by the…
America’s adversaries have forged an axis of global instability. Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea exploit trade, technology, and diplomacy to undermine US influence and disrupt the global order. Yet, longstanding cracks in their relationships reveal the limits of their…
Israel’s Operation Rising Lion will go down as among the most impressive military campaigns in history. Military academies, military planners, and the Intelligence Community will study it for decades. More urgent, however, is that policymakers understand the importance of U.S. support in…