by Mahmood Monshipouri and Jonathon Whooley The United States and Iran are unrelentingly caught in a strategic conundrum that is escalating toward conflict with no diplomatic solution in sight. Neither the “maximum pressure” strategy of the Trump administration nor the “no… Continue Reading
by Emile Nakhleh As of this writing, President Trump seems to be using more severe sanctions as a response to the September 14 attack on two Saudi oil facilities, which he blames on Iran. It’s difficult to predict whether, in… Continue Reading
by Alessandro Regio This year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Turkmenistan, was a reaffirmation that the organization has come a long way from its relatively humble beginnings in the mid-1990’s. Iran came closer to joining the bloc, while Russia… Continue Reading
by Samuel Ramani In mid-October, Russian President Vladimir Putin will make his first visit to Saudi Arabia since 2007. Putin’s trip underscores Russia’s emergence as a major geopolitical stakeholder on the Arabian Peninsula and gives Moscow an opportunity to cement… Continue Reading
by Paul R. Pillar Although President Trump is wisely resisting starting a new war in the Middle East, the dead-end nature of his failed “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran has put him on the spot to do something, after last… Continue Reading