Recent Posts

IntelBrief: United States and Iran Heading Slowly Toward the Brink Again

Bottom Line up Front The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated both Iran and the United States, but has not prevented tensions between them from escalating again. Iran’s willingness to undertake provocative actions indicates that the U.S. campaign of ‘maximum pressure’ has not mitigated the threat from Iran. Iranian leaders assess that …

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IntelBrief: The Future of the U.S.-China Relationship in a Post-COVID World

Bottom Line Up Front Through a series of unforced errors and myopic policy choices, the United States is abdicating its position as a global leader, leaving a vacuum that China and other powers vying for hegemony are eagerly filling. By forfeiting leadership on the most pressing challenges of our time, …

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IntelBrief: Is Mohammed bin Salman Leading Saudi Arabia into the Abyss?

Bottom Line Up Front The combination of record-low oil prices and mounting demographic pressures poses significant challenges to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) future plans in Saudi Arabia. In mid-April, a Saudi citizen named Abdul Rahim Ahmad Mahmoud al-Hwaiti refused to abandon his home so that MBS could pursue …

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