Why Russia Attacked One of Ukraine’s Most Sacred Churches
Since the onset of hostilities, Russia has used the war to target sites that anchor Ukrainian national and spiritual identity.
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Publications
Africa Political Monitor No. 65
Ebola resurfaces amid aid cutbacks;
Power, elections and clan politics collide in Mogadishu;
Ethiopia's search for a sea outlet meets regional resistance;
Sharp cuts planned to African consular services
America is about to cede Africa’s space industry to China, and nobody’s talking about it.
By anchoring itself in Africa's emerging space economy, Washington has a rare opportunity to strengthen its partnerships on the continent and compete more effectively with China in the process. Now, it’s up to policymakers to seize this opening.
One Cheer For Trump’s Iran Deal
“The terms of the new Memorandum of Understanding agreed to between Washington and Tehran over the weekend have now been made public, and the agreement as currently formulated is more lopsided and less favorable than even the skeptics had initially predicted.”
Are Iran’s New Rulers Stronger Than Ever?
The potential for change within Iran persists—although the mechanism and timing for such a change are still unclear.
War-weary Russia is falling apart
It is becoming increasingly difficult for Russians — both Russia’s elites and ordinary citizens — to ignore the growing disaster that has been created by more than four years of Vladimir Putin’s war of choice against Ukraine.
Why Iran’s New Strategic Doctrine Demands a Western Response
Though battered by the United States and Israel, Iran is putting renewed emphasis on its network of regional proxies.
China Policy Monitor No. 1680
PRC intelligence recruiting via LinkedIn – Five Eyes;
U.S. journalist faces up to 10 years for working as PRC agent;
Chinese components supply Russia's drone factories;
China reverses economic opening up;
India's Tata will use Chinese tech for its EVS
Four questions (and expert answers) about Armenia’s elections and what to expect next
Is America ready for a nuclear explosion in space?
Space-based nuclear weapons are a serious matter, and one that deserves the very highest level of national attention.
Russia’s Economy Is Ailing. Its Influence Campaign Isn’t.
Which version of the Russia story will global publics end up believing: the one in which it is a misunderstood friend, or the one where Putin is prepared to bankrupt the state to satisfy his will to imperial power?
Indo-Pacific Monitor No. 55
Tokyo, Jakarta tighten ties...;
...As Russia and India move ahead with Relos pact;
Beijing and Delhi dial it down;
Seoul diving for deterrence
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2731
Putin's quest for immortality... fuels speculative science;
Some deterrent messaging from NATO;
Ukraine strikes at the heart of Russian naval power...;
...And targets Russian oil refineries;
The economic strains of the Ukraine war continue to mount
China Policy Monitor No. 1679
Military must "forge a political soul loyal to the party";
In search of tax revenue, China targets offshore trusts;
The MSS targets Trump world;
PLA uses electronic warfare on Dutch warship in South China Sea;
China pulls visa of Times reporter
How to Counter China’s Fishing Fleet in the Western Hemisphere
The US Coast Guard should work with South American partners to end China’s illegal and environmentally harmful fishing practices.
China Policy Monitor No. 1678
China to buy 200 Boeing jets following Trump-Xi summit;
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan unrelated to Iran war;
Xi and Putin tout ties, warn of U.S. "hegemonic countercurrents"...;
...And condemn Trump's "Golden Dome";
Moscow, Beijing rally for Raúl Castro
Information Warfare Watch No. 55
China's informational inroads in the Caucasus;
The Iranian regime versus Starlink;
Russia's European information offensive
Macron’s ‘third way’ is not all it is cracked up to be
Mr. Macron’s gambit rests on a fundamental miscalculation. It presupposes that France has the economic heft, military capabilities and political legitimacy to chart a truly independent course in world affairs.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2730
An armed anti-regime movement emerges in Russia...;
...While Putin's support continues to slip...;
...And the Russian president does damage control;
Russia's hybrid assault on Europe
China Policy Monitor No. 1677
Household registration restrictions to be relaxed - state council;
PRC nationals help Mexican cartels launder drug money;
Japan demands safety guarantees after Shanghai stabbing;
China expands crackdown on Myanmar scam compounds;
China removes tariffs on African imports
The Abraham Accords Should Be More Than A Bargaining Chip
By tying the Accords to the current Iran conflict, the Trump administration risks turning what was previously seen by regional states as a strategic opportunity into something approaching an unwelcome obligation. Doing so would end up serving neither the Accords nor U.S. regional policy well.
Global Islamism Monitor No. 141
Ankara moves against the Islamic State;
Shifting Palestinian public opinion;
Iraq's militias dig in...;
...As Iran's proxies collaborate
The Iran War and the Home Front Dilemma
Necessity Is the Mother of Reinvention for Iran
The Iranian regime may be down, but it is far from defeated. It is, moreover, adapting in ways that will invariably pose a problem for Western security—and a political and ideological challenge for its Muslim neighbors.
Strategic Implications of Lunar Mass Drivers as a Dual-Use Technology
Whoever first develops and fields an operational mass driver will fundamentally alter the character of space operations.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2729
Russia stepping up drone production;
How Russia tricked thousands of Africans;
Obscuring regional statistics;
Russia's problematic new human rights commissioner
China’s One-Sided Theory of Peace
China believes peace is possible, as long as only the United States changes its behavior.
Washington’s Biggest Weapons Against Iran Are Pressure And Patience
The Iran war seems to have devolved into a waiting game
Hollow Heartland: Regional Consequences of Russia’s Ukraine Invasion
Russia’s war in Ukraine is draining the resource-rich regions that sustain its economy, creating labor shortages that will be increasingly difficult to replace.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2728
Moscow eyes OPEC after the UAE;
Putin retreats to the bunker;
Moscow fuels post-Assad Syria;
Russia's migrant recruitment pipeline
Propaganda wars: Turning the tables on Russia
Information Warfare Watch 54
The SVR takes over Prigozhin's influence network;
Taiwan faces an information offensive;
A new (Canadian) tool again Russian disinformation;
Iran keeps loyal voices online
China Policy Monitor No. 1676
Beijing blames "foreign forces" for youth malaise;
Tehran and Beijing affirm strategic partnership ahead of Trump visit;
Taiwan indicts former news host for PRC espionage;
Two former Defense Ministers receive suspended death sentences;
Over a million corruption cases investigated in 2025
Indo-Pacific Monitor No. 54
Jakarta walks a fine line om airspace ambiguity;
Tokyo to diversity its defense trade;
Iran war sparks an Asian pivot to coal;
A changing of the guard in Myanmar?;
(Re)naming the seas
Mali’s Jihadist Surge Should Be A Wake Up Call
It’s the most important story that most people aren’t watching.
Africa Political Monitor No. 64
An ominous convergence destabilizes Mali;
A grim anniversary in Sudan;
DRC as a safehaven;
The return of Somali piracy
Global Islamism Monitor No. 140
In Mali, a Russian failure...and an Islamist advance;
All eyes on Hamas in Europe;
Afghanistan's women face a bleak future
Russia Policy Monitor 2727
Moscow preys on the mentally infirm;
Putin's growing paranoia;
Russia's shadow fleet takes the sky...;
...as its mercenaries struggle in Mali
China Policy Monitor No. 1675
Iran conflict increases Chinese reliance on U.S. ethane;
Beijing forces cancellation of Taiwanese President's Eswatini visit;
Tiangong space station to double in size;
Italy extradites PRC hacker to U.S.;
Manila dismisses PLA "combat patrols" as "information operations"
How Iran’s Regime Stays In Control
Permanent internet blackouts, child mobilization, and foreign militias have emerged as new features of the Islamic Republic’s crisis governance.
Could Floods in Dagestan Trigger a Tectonic Shift?
The catastrophic flooding in Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan has exposed the limits of Russian state capacity on its southern periphery at a moment when Moscow's grip on the wider Caucasus is already loosening.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2726
Putin chokes off the internet;
The dismal state of the federation;
Russia pushes population displacement in occupied Mariupol;
More crackdowns on rights groups;
Putin reshuffles Russian soft power
Why NATO’s Weakest Link Is Spain
Recent weeks have made clear that the alliance doesn’t just have a Turkey problem. It has a Spanish one as well, and the latter is likely to emerge as a real headache for U.S.-NATO relations when the dust from the current Iran conflict finally clears.
Iran Democracy Monitor No. 251
Iran's regime exploits its youth;
...And harnesses foreign fighters;
The IRGC's expanding European footprint
Why Israel’s Economy Is Thriving Now
The strengthening shekel stands as a powerful testament to how both foreign investors and Israelis themselves view the country’s long-term prospects.
Space Nuclear Weapons Analysis
The placement or use of a nuclear weapon in space would pose an unprecedented threat to U.S. national security, global stability, and the commercial space economy.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2725
Anti-corruption justice inches forward;
More Russian covert action thwarted in Kyiv;
Russia expands HIV testing;
Russia proffers nuclear assistance... on Iran;
Russia is still in dire economic straits
China Policy Monitor No. 1674
China sold Iran the spy satellite it used to target U.S., Arab assets;
Russia oil imports help offset Middle East supply shortfalls;
China and Turkmenistan ink deal to expand Galkynysh gas field;
Seven nuclear reactors to be commissioned this year;
Tianlong-3 rocket fails on debut
China Plans To Industrialize The Moon With Mines, Factories And Power Stations. The U.S. Has Not Established A Permanent Lunar Presence
On the Strait of Hormuz, Who Will Blink First, the U.S. or Iran?
Iran’s economy is already crippled, but still resilient. The US economy is less threatened, but its political system is less tolerant of short-term economic pain.