Middle Orient

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In a world of shifting alliances, Pakistan must balance strategic partnerships with national interests — and the key question is whether the Makkah Pact will become a tool of strategic autonomy or another form of dependence. In recent years, the world has seen an unprecedented shift in global alliances. According …

Gulf countries are doubling down on domestic natural gas investment as the US-Iran war sharpens their focus on energy security and reducing their reliance on imports. Large scale projects worth around $50 billion have been signed off in states including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE so far this year. …

Key Takeaways: The article frames the US-Iran conflict since 1979 as a geopolitical struggle for control of Persian Gulf oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, rooted in a longer history of Persian resistance to external powers and intensified by the post-1979 theocratic regime’s rejection of the US-led security order. …

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The Houthis are preparing to march on Riyadh while the Revolutionary Guards are driving America out of every continent.America’s security umbrella has failed to provide the Gulf petro-monarchies with the much-touted security against Iran and the axis of resistance. Instead, it has made them more susceptible to the realization of …

The Iraqi Peshmerga, the military arm of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), remains one of the United States’ most important defense partners in the Middle East. This monograph provides an in-depth assessment of Peshmerga combat effectiveness, particularly considering its experience in the war against the Islamic State and its …

In 2026, Turkey’s policy in Yemen shifted from exclusive neutrality and mediation efforts to “the brink” of military intervention against the government in Sanaa and the Ansar Allah movement, yet a range of geopolitical, legal and domestic political factors makes this scenario being fully put into practice unlikely. A Brief …

Key Takeaways: Iraq’s parliament approved the remaining Cabinet appointments for Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, including Laith al-Khazali of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Asaib Ahl al-Haq as a deputy prime minister, prompting concerns about continued Iran-backed militia influence in Baghdad. U.S. officials reaffirmed support for al-Zaidi’s vision of a sovereign Iraq …

Key TakeawaysThe Iranian regime has reportedly found ways to ship a very limited and relatively inconsequential amount of petroleum product exports via maritime routes despite the US naval blockade. Iran’s ability to export energy products continues to be severely hampered by the US economic campaign, however.The Houthis are using imitative …