February, 2026

• 17 February

  What Can the EU Do About Trump 2.0?

  

  Europe’s policy of subservience to the Trump administration has failed. For Washington to take the EU seriously, its leaders now need to combine engagement with robust pushback. After a year of Donald Trump’s second U.S. presidency, the EU is still in a state of shock. So far, European leaders have …

  Read More »
• 17 February

  Aleppo. Camp “Akhtarin” is ready to receive the residents of “Al-Hol”

  

  A source inside the municipality of Akhtarin district, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, confirmed to Enab Baladi the transfer of residents of the “Al-Hol” camp in the countryside of Al-Hasakah, which includes the families of the “Islamic State” organization. The source said that the transfer is likely to be …

  Read More »
• 16 February

  Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, February 15, 2026

  

  Toplines The Kremlin continues to discuss future elections in Ukraine to advance its false claim that the current Ukrainian government is illegitimate and insists on means of controlling Ukraine’s politics. In an interview with Kremlin newswire TASS on February 15, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin repeated the debunked claim …

  Read More »
• 16 February

  The growing Saudi-UAE power struggle in the Horn of Africa

  

  The rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has erupted beyond subtle divergences into a more overt and consequential rivalry. While it started with an emerging proxy war over southern Yemen, it has now shifted to the Horn of Africa. But while efforts to smooth their differences …

  Read More »
• 16 February

  Power shift: Can Syria’s oil fields reshape its energy future?

  

  Syria’s oil fields in the northeast have returned to the state from the SDF, but the recovery of the country’s energy sector will take time, energy, and money Damascus, Syria – Following the government’s takeover of much of northeast Syria from the Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in recent weeks, …

  Read More »
• 16 February

  What the New Gaza Administrative Committee Needs to Succeed

  

  The NCAG’s viability will depend on producing quick, tangible deliverables, so the Trump administration, the Board of Peace, and the High Representative should stand ready to provide the requisite support on staving off Hamas and PA obstructionism and cutting through Israeli red tape. Last month’s establishment of the National Committee …

  Read More »
• 16 February

  Cutting Through the Fog of War (and Peace) in Syria

  

  Clear-eyed recounting and a detailed roadmap can give U.S. officials and the American public a better view of what security and governance measures the new Syrian government has taken so far, and what gaps and pitfalls remain in the path of lasting stability. The following testimony was submitted to the …

  Read More »
• 16 February

  Another Iran “Deal” Is Less Important Than Exerting U.S. Leverage

  

  U.S. envoys should be focused less on making a deal and more on how they can use the prospect of imminent military strikes to secure concessions on the nuclear issue, missile threats, treatment of protesters, and other matters. Nearly eight months after the twelve-day war, which saw the United States …

  Read More »
• 16 February

  A “Good Deal” with Iran? Requirements for Preventing a Future Nuclear Breakout

  

  Setting aside the broader array of deep Western policy concerns about Iran—including its terrorism sponsorship, direct and proxy aggression against Israel and the Gulf states, and brutal violence against its own people—what nuclear terms would negotiators have to insist on to avoid the setbacks of the JCPOA process and keep …

  Read More »
• 16 February

  Rising Tensions between Hezbollah
  and the Lebanese Government

  E_021_26Download

  Read More »