Recent Posts

IntelBrief: United States and Iran Heading Slowly Toward the Brink Again

Bottom Line up Front The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated both Iran and the United States, but has not prevented tensions between them from escalating again. Iran’s willingness to undertake provocative actions indicates that the U.S. campaign of ‘maximum pressure’ has not mitigated the threat from Iran. Iranian leaders assess that …

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IntelBrief: Is Mohammed bin Salman Leading Saudi Arabia into the Abyss?

Bottom Line Up Front The combination of record-low oil prices and mounting demographic pressures poses significant challenges to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) future plans in Saudi Arabia. In mid-April, a Saudi citizen named Abdul Rahim Ahmad Mahmoud al-Hwaiti refused to abandon his home so that MBS could pursue …

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