Why Ayatollah Khamenei Has Blocked Negotiations with the U.S.

by Kayhan Barzegar Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has defined the current status of relations between Iran and the United States as “no war, no negotiation.” His position, in addition to showing Iran’s indomitability or resistance against President Trump’s… Continue Reading

Trump Provoked a Crisis with Iran, and Now May Try to Solve It

by Ryan Costello Trump’s firing of John Bolton has single-handedly dealt a two-pronged blow to those in Washington who sought to maneuver him into a devastating war with Iran. Not only has the likelihood of conflict gone down with Bolton… Continue Reading

A Crumbling Saudi-Emirati Alliance in Yemen May Change U.S. Gulf Policy

by Charles W. Dunne As recently as last June, the de facto alliance between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt appeared to be in the driver’s seat of US policy on the Middle East, influencing Trump Administration thinking… Continue Reading

The U.S. in Afghanistan: 18 Years and Still Counting

by Robert E. Hunter Always the man of surprises, President Donald Trump this past weekend sprang two: the first to schedule a “secret” meeting at Camp David to try settling the Afghanistan conflict; the second to cancel the meeting and… Continue Reading