Recent Posts

NATO’s Biggest Test Since the Cold War Is Still Ahead

The allies have to find a way to end the war without sacrificing Ukraine in the process. At this week’s celebration of NATO’s seventy-fifth anniversary, there will be plenty of self-congratulatory speeches about the strongest, most enduring, and most successful alliance in history and promises to keep it that way …

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Spotlight on Iran

Following the election of Masoud Pezeshkian as president of Iran, there has been a marked Iranian effort to emphasize Iran’s commitment to continued support for the “resistance front” it leads: the Iranian media has highlighted the message of support sent by the president-elect to Hezbollah’s secretary-general, in which he stressed …

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Iran Update, July 9, 2024

Hamas is threatening to end ceasefire negotiations with Israel in response to Israeli raids targeting Hamas fighters in Gaza City. This effort may seek to trigger increased international pressure on Israel to stop the raids. Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh said on July 8 that continued Israeli raids in …

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Iran Update, July 10, 2024

Palestinian militias, including Hamas, are continuing to coordinate militarily and politically with Iranian-backed Iraqi militias. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Deputy Secretary General Jamil Mazhar met with the leaders of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias Asaib Ahl al Haq, the Badr Organization, and the Jihad and Construction Movement in …

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Putin’s New War Economy

Why Soviet-Style Military Spending—and State Intervention—Won’t Save Russia In Russia, the tradition of making fun of Soviet economic planning is almost as old as attempts to improve the economic system. “What would happen if socialism were built in the Sahara?” an old joke asks. The answer: “At first, except for …

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Service to what nation?

Why people should stop talking about conscription. Somewhere among the detritus left in the wake of the erratic and shambolic western response to the Ukraine crisis, you have probably spotted the idea of re-introducing some kind of conscription, or national military service. The politest thing one can say about this …

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