Articles
Making Sense of The MeK
Quite simply, the MeK believes that, after forty years of active resistance, it has more “skin in the game” than any other personality or faction in the struggle against the Islamic Republic.
China’s geostrategic conception of the developing world
Not since the Mao era has the developing world played a larger role in China’s geostrategy.
The Rise of Russia’s Hi-Tech Military
[T]he United States should be aware of key adversarial developments such as Russia’s emerging unmanned, autonomous, and AI capabilities, and prepare itself in terms of appropriate capabilities, tactics, and plans.
Political earthquake in Istanbul
Turkish democracy isn’t dead. That was the central message behind this past weekend‘s rerun of the mayoral election in Turkey’s famous city, Istanbul.
US finds itself isolated in Iran conflict
President Trump’s opportunity at next week’s G-20 summit to reset U.S. relations with close allies is a particularly timely one, for it comes as Washington suffers the downsides of its frayed relations in connection with one of its biggest global challenges of the moment — its rising tensions with Iran.
How To Turn Iran’s Tanker Mischief Against The Islamic Republic
By now, there is ample evidence that last week's attack on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz was the work of the Iranian regime, as the Trump administration has alleged.
Misplaced Optimism In Libya
Is the long-running civil war in Libya winding to a close? The Libyan National Army (LNA) and its larger-than-life leader, Gen. Khalifa Haftar, seem to think so.
Dreaming Of A Deal With Russia Over Iran
During its first half-year in office, the Trump administration actively flirted with the idea that it might be possible, under the proper conditions, to “flip” the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin and get it to support American attempts to pressure Tehran.
More U.S. talks with Iran are doomed to fail
Is behavioral change in Tehran possible without regime change?
The Problem Confronting Trump’s Peace Plan
Later this month, unless it is delayed by Israel's current political turmoil, the Trump administration will start rolling out its long awaited, much-debated plan for Mideast peace.
Iran’s Crown Prince Strikes Back
Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration has turned up the heat on Tehran. Way up. A
Why US-Turkish ties won’t get better
“Every year, we hear that this is the worst year ever for U.S.-Turkish relations,” a prominent Turkish academic wryly remarked to me last month during my visit to the country. “This year, they might be right.”
Why Turkey’s Erdogan Is Worried
Since 2002, the Justice & Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, or AKP) has decisively dominated national politics in Turkey.
The Promise and Peril of 5G
Washington cannot afford to cede dominance over this important technology to Beijing.
AFPC Book Review: No Way Out
Mr. Pirchner’s little book provides a good summary of the main political events of post-communist Russia, many that we have already forgotten.
Moscow to Weave AI Face Recognition into Its Urban Surveillance Net
City authorities say the planned system will have access to all 160,000 existing cameras.
America Needs Unity on China
Washington cannot afford to let rival powers divide America along partisan lines.
China’s hypersonic weapons leave US defenseless, for now
Earlier this spring, an invitation-only briefing on Capitol Hill gave congressional attendees a disturbing glimpse into a high-tech research race that is spawning dangerous new weapons, delivery systems, and supporting technologies. It is a contest where China is forging ahead, shrugging off suggestions of restraint.
The Real Iran Threat to the Strait of Hormuz (Causing Oil Prices to Skyrocket)
The Iranian government could wreak real havoc on the global economy not by closing the Strait outright, but rather by narrowing it. By limiting commercial traffic flowing through the crucial waterway (for example, via military exercises), the Iranian regime can successfully drive up the marginal price of world oil without providing the United States with a clear justification to act.
Ukraine’s New President Volodymyr Zelensky Should Focus On These Four Policy Priorities
Over the weekend, Volodymyr Zelensky — a comedian best known for his leading role in the popular Ukrainian television series "Servant of the People" — decisively trounced the country's sitting president in the second round of national elections there to capture Ukraine's top political post.
China, Russia, Iran rise in Latin America as US retreats
In Latin America, a U.S. retreat that began under President Barack Obama has accelerated under President Donald Trump, creating a vacuum that China, Russia, and Iran are moving to fill.
Ukraine’s race a sign of our time
Ukraine’s presidential election, in which a popular comedian with no political experience is projected to beat a seasoned incumbent with considerable baggage, reflects global trends that continue to shake the global order.
What Israel’s elections signify
In Israel’s latest national elections on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeded in securing a decisive electoral victory despite early returns that indicated he and his conservative Likud party were behind in the polls. In truth, however, Netanyahu’s victory was always more likely than not.
Trump’s Signal To Tehran
The Trump administration is turning up the heat on the ayatollahs.
Awakening From the Green Dream
Without intending it, and quite apart from the U.S. Senate’s stance, trumpet calls for a Green New Deal (GND) perversely heralds a retreat from combating climate change.
U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission Testimony: The Russo-Chinese Alliance: What Are Its Limits?
Submitted For Testimony before the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission Session on March 21, 2018, “An Emerging China-Russia Axis? Implications for the United States in an Era of Strategic Competition”
Playing for Their Lives: How a 2001 Video Game Is Feeding Venezuela
Venezuelans are "farming gold" for income while their country is in turmoil.
2020 presidential race: Top Democrats support Iran’s hopes instead of promising sanctions
Iran’s leaders are more convinced than ever that relief from the Trump administration’s policies could be right around the corner with 2020 Democrats.
For Energy Security Think EVs
Notwithstanding newly won status as the world’s largest global oil producer, America’s sway over the global oil market remains incomplete and weak. Worse, it’s reactive, driven above all by politically touchy pump prices. In energy security, the focus continues to be on oil, yet a switch to electric propulsion offers a way out.
Is Russia Going to War Against the Internet?
The Sovereign Internet Bill, which recently passed its first reading in Russia’s parliament, calls for the creation of a Russian Domain Name System (DNS) and would require all web traffic to be routed through state-controlled servers. If passed, the bill would make it much, much easier for the Kremlin to control the dissemination of information entering and leaving the country.
Russia Racing to Complete National AI Strategy by June 15
That’s just one of several high-tech deadlines Putin set recently.
How Rabat Is Coping With ISIS Returnees
Over the past decade, Morocco's extensive efforts to promote its brand of tolerant Islam as an antidote to the extremism of ISIS and other Islamic radicals has put the kingdom on the intellectual front lines of the "war of ideas" in the Muslim world. Less well known, however, are the country's domestic efforts to mitigate its own internal Islamist problem.
‘Putin’s brain’ an echo of absolute tyrants
These days, the progressive Left’s ubiquitous use of the words “fascist” and “imperialist” to describe a multitude of political enemies threatens to render those words meaningless. Yet, for those who retain a fondness for the traditional interpretations of the words, a new exemplar has appeared...
Humanitarian intervention and information warfare
Russia and its allies are not just targeting government, society, and military targets. They are also attacking key economic targets like electric grids and international logistics firms. They aim to undermine the US, UN, and other governments and effectuate what amounts to a criminal takeover of corporations for profit and political gain.
Netanyahu ignores global opinion at Israel’s peril
Few things are more infuriating than to hear Western leaders lecture Israel about how it should behave — whether the issue is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or other matters — while they say little if anything about far more serious matters of regional stability or human rights around the world.
Refocusing On The Foreign Fighter Threat
What is to be done with ISIS returnees? America's allies and partners have grappled with this question for more than a year now, ever since the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria began to crumble. But the issue has become more acute in recent days as a result of American policy.
Technology Is Making Terrorists More Effective — And Harder To Thwart
As the contemporary terrorist threat changes, it is being amplified by new technologies that give those actors greater reach and impact than ever before.
The Limits Of Russo-Israeli Cooperation
Why Russia covets hypersonic weapons
Russia’s ongoing development of hypersonic weapons proves nuclear weapons are in fact warfighting weapons — contrary to conventional wisdom in the West.
Russia Plans More Arctic UAVs
Moscow’s equivalent of DARPA wants a cold-weather drone that can stay aloft for four days.
40 years later, Iran needs another revolution
Iran’s threats to America’s global interests are mounting as the Islamic Republic celebrates its 40th anniversary, and these threats mock repeated U.S. efforts over the years to appease a dangerous regime.
Rabat’s Challenging Conscription Strategy
Morocco’s return to conscription shouldn’t be seen as a catch-all cure.
Information warfare threatens Western corporations
Since 2014, we have learned just how potent Russian information warfare can be when it targets foreign governments. But as a result, we have tended to overlook the no less disruptive proliferation of attacks against Western corporations.
4 Key Takeaways From Director Of National Intelligence Dan Coats Testimony About Iran
Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats' January 2019 "worldwide threat assessment" — provides an extensive overview of the risks that the U.S. will face in the near future, and a detailed snapshot of the challenge that America's spies and intelligence professionals see emanating from Iran.
Putin Orders Up a National AI Strategy
The Jan. 15 instruction follows a year of Russian efforts to better unify public and private AI research.
Second Trump-Kim summit risks US credibility
President Trump hopes to use a second summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in the coming weeks to jumpstart progress on dismantling the North’s nuclear program, but Kim’s recent statements and Pyongyang’s clandestine work on its program raise serious questions about the President’s approach.
Russia’s latest gambit is just another Middle East foray gone awry
[T]he recent public verbal tongue lashings by Moscow to Iran’s leaders are just that. They are part of a false narrative that Moscow can exert its will over Turkey, Iran and Syria, and that Israel has a reliable and concerned partner in the Kremlin.
Welcome to the Age of Local Jihad
President Trump's unexpected December announcement that America would pull its military forces out of Syria has reignited a debate over the future of U.S. counterterrorism policy in Washington.
China has nothing to fear from America’s Africa strategy, as it’s largely bluster
David H. Shinn and Joshua Eisenman say the bold proclamation of US intent to help African countries resist China’s ‘predatory practices’ carries little weight, given that the Trump administration has failed to allocate sufficient resources for it to succeed