GOP Mega-Donor Sheldon Adelson Funds Mysterious Anti-Iran Pressure Group

by Eli Clifton Nearly one-third of anti-Iran pressure group United Against Nuclear Iran’s 2013 budget came from the country’s foremost Republican mega-donor, a man who invested a reported $98 million to defeat Barack Obama in the 2012 election, casino magnate… Continue Reading  

Iran’s NPT Withdrawal Option

by François Nicoullaud The risk of failure in the ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program has increased after the most recent meetings in Oman and Vienna. The resolution of the key remaining points of contention—about Iran’s enrichment capacity and,… Continue Reading  

Sanctions and Symmetry in the Iran Negotiations

by Paul R. Pillar Notwithstanding the obvious asymmetries in soon-to-resume nuclear negotiations with Iran (it’s Iran’s nuclear program, not the U.S. one, that is being restricted; it’s the United States, not Iran, that is sanctioning someone else’s economy) the perceptual… Continue Reading  

Graham Fuller’s Five Middle East Predictions for 2015

Only a fool offers longer term predictions about the Middle East. I offer the following longer terms predictions about the Middle East for 2015.

Lower Oil Prices Will Not Turn Producers into Pushovers

by Paul R. Pillar The steep drop in the price of oil during the latter half of 2014 has generated much comment about how this development has weakened major oil-producing countries and supposedly made their governments more pliable on issues… Continue Reading