Persian Gulf Stability Requires Realism and Compromise

by Shireen T. Hunter In the aftermath of attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil installations, attributed either directly or indirectly to Iran, calls in the United States for punitive military action against Tehran have once more increased. As has often… Continue Reading

After the Aramco Attack: A Middle East One Step Closer to Its “1914 Moment”

by International Crisis Group For much of 2019, Crisis Group has warned that a trigger event could spark direct military confrontation between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, on one side, and Iran on the other, precipitating a regional conflagration. The… Continue Reading

Sharpies in the Post-Truth Era

by Paul R. Pillar President Trump’s amateurish use of a felt-tip pen to alter an already outdated map from the National Hurricane Center, in an effort to sustain an earlier assertion about Hurricane Dorian threatening Alabama, bordered on self-parody. It… Continue Reading