Ideas
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Are Shaping the Future of the Middle East
The Guards, particularly the Quds Brigade, now numbering about 15,000, are in the forefront of projecting Iranian influence.
Ideas
Time to Move the 5th Fleet? How US Appeasement Is Undermining Bahrain's Stability
The government crackdowns that followed the Obama administration’s decision to lift an arms ban have only stirred up dissent.
Threats
The US is Raiding its Global Bomb Stockpiles to Fight ISIS
The anti-ISIS coalition has dropped more than 41,500 bombs, leading the Pentagon to borrow from stockpiles in other regions.
Ideas
There Are No Good Alternatives to the US-Saudi Relationship
Obama’s former Mideast advisor also says the administration did just enough in Syria to perpetuate the conflict without resolving it.
Ideas
Obama's Last Chance To Change the Saudi Arabia Playbook
The U.S. can't be the sole guardian of the Gulf forever. It's time to bring in some more friends.
Ideas
America Can't Do Much About ISIS
That leaves patience, containment, and humanitarian aid as the least-bad policies while waiting for this awful war to play itself out.
Ideas
What the US Gives Its Mideast Partners Isn’t Always What They Need
Instead of 'prestige weapons' worth billions, look at UAE’s special operators or Palestine’s security forces.
Ideas
In Increasingly Turbulent Middle East, US-Saudi Partnership Is Indispensable
A former EUCOM deputy commander looks makes the case for even tighter bonds with Riyadh.
Threats
How Syria’s Uprising Spawned a Jihad
Five years ago, the opposition to Bashar al-Assad was mostly peaceful and secular. What happened?
Policy
If Trump Wins, Expect Thousands of Defense Jobs to Move to Europe
The GOP frontrunner's anti-Muslim comments could prompt U.S. allies to shop elsewhere for arms.
Ideas
Here's How Easily a Wanted War Criminal Can Travel the Globe
Sudan's pledges of support against enemies of the West and Saudi Arabia have greased the skids for alleged war criminal and President Omar al-Bashir's 21-country world tour.
Ideas
Start Preparing for the Collapse of the Saudi Kingdom
Saudi Arabia is no state at all. It's an unstable business so corrupt to resemble a criminal organization and the U.S. should get ready for the day after.
Ideas
Bring the Troops Home — From Sinai
Your first question is likely: 'We have American soldiers deployed in Egypt?'
Ideas
The Arab Spring's Aftermath, in 7 Minutes
A look at where Libya, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, and Tunisia stand now.
Science & Tech
The Middle East's Quietly Rising Cyber Super Power
Israel now has more than 300 cybersecurity companies, exports totaling $6 billion, and 20 percent of the world’s private cyber investment dollars.
Threats
ISIS Has Reportedly Cut Its Fighters' Salaries in Half
An ostensible ISIS treasury memo shows an organization under increasing financial pressure as coalition warplanes ramp up attacks on their oil infrastructure.
Ideas
Obama's Legacy: Limited Force, Limited Influence, Lingering Questions of What America Should Be
Obama’s long-view for the Middle East stands little chance of playing out as Americans — and events — cry for the U.S. to do more.
Policy
After Guantanamo, Two Detainees Try To Put Their Lives Back Together in Ghana
Here’s how the Yemeni men are being treated and what they say about their long incarceration.
Science & Tech
Researchers: ISIS Has Built A Secure Messaging App
Facebook and other big tech companies aren’t the only ones who can create apps for encrypted communication.
Ideas