Recent Posts

In Odesa’s Shadows: What Is Russia’s Strategy in Moldova?

Moscow’s approach to Moldova is to play for time and keep the country in geopolitical limbo by stoking internal divisions, stalling reforms, and fueling disenchantment with the pro-European course. An old Moldovan joke goes that the best sight to visit in Moldova is Odesa: a legendary Ukrainian port city on …

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Iran is Gaining Ground in Jordan

A Jordanian population sympathetic to Iran’s ambitions, coupled with the country’s long border with Israel, could turn Jordan into a potential launching pad for attacks against Israel. Jordanians marched in the capital of Amman last week, holding aloft portraits of the late secretary general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. The streets …

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Jordan: On the Edge?

Popular unrest against ties with Israel and an uneasy economy makes the country vulnerable to Iran’s and ISIS’ malign activity. Jordan, which has enjoyed deep relations with the United States for over seventy years and hosts nearly 3,000 American troops, is a vital partner in America’s presence in the Middle …

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How Everything Became National Security

And National Security Became Everything In American politics, labeling something a matter of “national security” automatically elevates its importance. In the language of foreign policy observers, national security questions, such as regulating weapons of mass destruction, are matters of “high politics,” whereas other issues, such as human rights, are “low …

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Is a Full-Scale Middle East War Already Here?

Iran and Israel Face Limitations That Make Massive Escalation Unlikely Many analysts watching the conflict in the Middle East have warned that the present fighting could escalate further. At the moment, such fears are concentrated on the prospect of a war between Iran and Israel. Of course, that war is …

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Iran’s Year of Living Dangerously

How the Failure of Tehran’s Strategy Is Raising Its Appetite for Risk Over four decades, in an effort to preserve itself, project regional influence, and deter adversaries, the Islamic Republic of Iran has invested in three projects: funding and arming a network of nonstate allies; developing ballistic missiles that can …

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