October 22, 2021 Iran, Middle Orient
Abstract: Iran-backed militias have been scrambling to recover after the loss of their patriarchs Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on January 3, 2020. Attempts to preserve a top-down, Iran-directed system of command have met resistance, both from independent-minded upstarts like Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and the fragmenting powerbases within Kata’ib …
Read More »
October 22, 2021 Middle Orient
The Saudi-led coalition also said it struck military targets in the capital Sanaa related to drone attacks on the kingdom. Houthi authorities in Yemen reported several deaths on Thursday in the fight with Saudi forces. Two Yemeni citizens were killed by Saudi gunfire in Saada governorate near the border with …
Read More »
October 22, 2021 Middle Orient
Protests erupted in Idlib against the Syrian Salvation Government, affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, amid high inflation and deteriorating living conditions. Protests have occurred in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib in recent days against the so-called Syrian Salvation Government (SSG), which is affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). HTS controls …
Read More »
October 22, 2021 Middle Orient
Turkey’s latest strike comes on the four-year anniversary of the Kurdish fighters’ capture of Raqqa from the Islamic State. A drone strike believed to have been launched by Turkey struck a vehicle in the Kurdish-controlled town of Kobani in northeast Syria on Wednesday, according to local reports. Three people in …
Read More »
October 22, 2021 Middle Orient
Axios reports that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan discussed Saudi Arabia’s potential diplomatic ties with Israel during his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan raised the possibility of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel during his meeting with Crown Prince …
Read More »
October 22, 2021 Middle Orient, Turkey
Turkey’s Sabah newspaper reported that a 15-member spy network was arrested on Oct. 15 in an operation carried out across four Turkish provinces. Turkish authorities arrested 15 people earlier this month who are accused of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Turkish media outlets reported on Thursday. Turkey’s Sabah newspaper …
Read More »
October 22, 2021 Middle Orient
The remote Tanf outpost has been quiet for years, but Iran’s pinprick provocations may once again be targeting the base, which plays a key role in Washington’s effort to obstruct Tehran’s influence. A remote US military outpost in the southern Syrian desert was hit by a suspected drone attack on …
Read More »
October 22, 2021 Eurasia
The Biden administration came into office with a clear and unambiguous foreign policy priority: countering a rising China. The administration’s public statements, its early national security planning documents, and its initial diplomatic forays have all suggested that pushing back against Beijing’s growing global influence will be Washington’s national security focus, …
Read More »
October 22, 2021 Eurasia
America, China, and the Echoes of History Is the world entering a new cold war? Our answer is yes and no. Yes if we mean a protracted international rivalry, for cold wars in this sense are as old as history itself. Some became hot, some didn’t: no law guarantees either …
Read More »
October 22, 2021 Eurasia, Iran, Middle Orient, Turkey
The reported capture of Iranian spies in Turkey comes as the latest sign of the rivalry heating up between Ankara and Tehran, as bilateral tensions over Iraq and Syria have been steadily expanding to the Caucasus since last year’s war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Turkey extended strong military support to …
Read More »