Lacking better options, Russia appears to be pursuing a ‘spheres of influence’ model. Five years into Russia’s military intervention in Syria, understanding Moscow’s endgame could provide critical insights into the decade-long conflict’s trajectory, as well as Russia’s posture in the Middle East and beyond. Although still evolving and subject to …

Mediators alone do not guarantee success, but there are few examples of significant peace agreements in their absence. At present, the Afghan peace negotiations (APN) between the Afghan government and the Taliban do not involve any third-party presence beyond hosting and supporting roles. The parties to the conflict and members …

The United States has a critical role to play in positioning peacekeepers to fulfill increasingly complex and demanding mandates. When American politicians want to temper voter’s concerns over U.S. military commitments overseas, many employ perhaps the most worn-out foreign policy cliché: “The United States cannot police the world.” After all, …

Although the international community can help, Libyans will ultimately have to decide for themselves how to reach a sustainable peace. This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the uprising that overthrew the four-decade dictatorship of Muammar Qaddafi. In the intervening decade, Libya has been mired in conflict and political gridlock, …

Can Washington work with its allies and partners to shape Beijing’s behavior and find realistic ways to cooperate on shared interests? Last week, President Biden held a call with General Secretary Xi Jinping, China’s paramount leader. They reportedly talked for more than two hours, a length that, combined with the …

There were far more deaths than usual in the camp for Islamic State families in January amid calls from the United Nations and Kurdish forces for countries to take back their citizens. There was a deadly uptick in violence in the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria last month. A …

Images from The Associated Press show vehicles and structures being removed from the Emirates’ military base. The United Arab Emirates is dismantling its military base on the Horn of Africa. The move follows the UAE’s lessening involvement in the Yemeni civil war. Satellite images obtained by The Associated Press show …

The Times reported that a Hamas envoy to Libya has set up an arms-smuggling group to funnel weapons to the Gaza Strip, which was categorically denied by Hamas. “The Palestinian militant group Hamas used the chaos of Libya’s civil war to set up an arms-smuggling group that tried to funnel …

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with newly elected Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh in Cairo on Thursday. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged his support for Libya’s newly elected government during a meeting in Cairo Thursday with the interim prime minister, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh. During UN-facilitated talks in Geneva, Switzerland, …

The Pentagon welcomed NATO’s increased contribution to training Iraq’s security forces. NATO has agreed to significantly broaden its military advising and stabilization mission in Iraq to roughly 4,000 troops, the alliance announced Thursday. “Today we decided to expand NATO’s training mission in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces as they …