The Mullahs in Iran have reason to celebrate. After 36 years, Iran has reclaimed its role as the definitive power in the Middle East, a truism it has known all along since regional geopolitics changed as a result of the 1991 Iraq War.
Well before the ink was dry on the historic nuclear deal between the P5+1 negotiating partners and Iran, opponents of the Obama administration’s policy were advocating strategies to roll back Iran and thwart its ambitions for regional hegemony. Although the agreement will reduce the chances of…
The Iranian agreement and the fight that now ensues in Congress will likely shape the 2016 race and affect American Jews’ political loyalties for years to come. If it is an inflection point in the Middle East and for U.S. security only if it passes muster, the fact of the agreement already…
Bahrain hit back at U.S. expressions of concern over the Gulf Arab kingdom’s treatment of opposition figures on Wednesday, saying all its actions followed due legal process. The State Department on Tuesday said the arrest of Ibrahim Sharif, prosecution of Majeed Milad and…
Even in the final months of talks to peacefully resolve the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program, events across the Middle East showcased the acrimony between Washington and Tehran. The United States dispatched warships to the Persian Gulf, backed Saudi airstrikes against…
More than four years after the 2011 Arab uprisings, the geopolitical considerations of major countries inside and outside the region appear to remain largely within the familiar parameters of security, stability and economic interests, as opposed to those of democracy and reform.
Let’s be clear about what the Iranian deal does not achieve: it does not prevent Iran from getting the bomb; it does not in any reliable way extend breakout capability to a year; and there is zero probability sanctions will “snap back” if Iran violates the agreement.
Ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran tried to cast itself as the leader of the entire Muslim world, and not just of its own minority Shiite sect. Fanning hostility to the American “Great Satan” and to the “Little Satan” of Israel has been a core part of that strategy—which, for a while…
A draft U.N. resolution on the Iran nuclear deal that says U.N. sanctions would “snap back” if Iran fails to meet its obligations also contains a surprise: The crucial mechanism will end in 10 years.
A US aircraft carrier in the Gulf hosted one of Saudi Arabia’s most powerful figures, official media said on Wednesday, as regional concerns mount over alleged interference by Iran. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also defence minister, boarded the USS Theodore Roosevelt which is…