Recent Posts

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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“They Are Liars”

Israel’s attacks in Beirut, and American complicity in them, has confirmed for many Lebanese how little they matter to the United States. On September 29, Houssein Al Kadi, a soldier in the Lebanese army, left his brother’s house in Zboud, in northeastern Lebanon, at 8:15 a.m. to report to his …

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Iran’s nuclear messaging campaign

Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Oct. 1, 2024, marked a significant escalation in the ongoing regional tensions. This assault, reportedly involving 180 missiles, was the Islamic Republic of Iran’s largest yet against Israel, targeting military and security sites in retaliation for Israeli assassinations of leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah …

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