Israel’s strategy to levy military pressure on Hezbollah victimizes Lebanese civilians, which bolsters support for Hezbollah in the long term. 

President Trump has systematically neutered his own campaign of maximum pressure against the Iranian economy by prioritizing his investments in the cryptocurrency industry over national security

Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) is a Salafi-jihadist group hailing from Mali in West Africa. Founded in 2017, they spread from northern Mali to six nations in the Sahel, turning the region into the global epicenter of terrorism for the last three years. Now, they are on the brink of overthrowing the Malian government and establishing an Islamic caliphate in West Africa.

The United Nations Secretary-General usually draws significant interest from the White House given the U.N.’s role in international affairs. This year, President Trump gets to influence the UNSG race. Here is how Trump’s MAGA philosophy may redefine the multilateral institution.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are meeting for a summit in Beijing this week. President Trump is in real trouble with Iran, giving Xi the upper hand in the encounter. He has influence over Tehran and wants something from America: concessions on Taiwan. Using diplomatic finesse, China may score a massive victory over Taiwanese nationalists without lifting a finger.

The United Nations is electing its next Secretary-General later this year. With a complex and rapidly changing international order, who are the candidates preparing to rise up to the challenge?

As Israel hemorrhages American support during a long-anticipated war with Iran, the walls are closing around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has two real options: accept an off-ramp from the conflict in the hopes of improving Israel’s image and waiting for a better moment to renew hostilities, or attempt to drag the US back into a shooting war with Iran while some level of American support is still assured. The strategic and political realities on the ground make the latter option much more likely.

Israel has a festering “America problem.” As American disapproval of the US-Israeli relationship grows by the day, the Israeli government faces the very real threat of losing its most committed defender and primary military benefactor. The deterioration of the US-Israeli alliance will have sounding repercussions for Israel’s international ambitions and Middle Eastern geopolitics writ large.

How does Iran maintain their stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz and why is the US unable to force its reopening, despite its military dominance? This article details which tools Iran uses to control the strait and why they are effective.

The Israeli government has been rallying for a war with Iran long before February 28th. The public justification for war is Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program. In reality, the conflict advances Israel’s long term grand strategy: maximizing regional dominance and expanding territorial claims. This analysis explores exactly how the Iran war serves Israel’s ambitions.

In a recent escalatory spat, the Trump administration balked in the face of Iranian pressure. The president quickly withdrew his threat to strike Iranian energy facilities if the Strait of Hormuz was not re-opened in 48 hours after Iran threatened to strike desalination plants in the Gulf. President Trump claimed that he reneged on the ultimatum because of productive negotiations with Iran. However, all evidence indicates that such negotiations are largely overstated. To the contrary, Iran is more confident in their ability to fight than ever.

Less than a year after the 12 day war, the United States and Israel have launched another military campaign against Iran. Based on the current trajectory of the conflict and an empirical analysis of past US interventions in the Middle East, there is little hope for an American victory, even if it successfully overthrows the Iranian government.