Misusing Intelligence to Sell Conflict with Iran

by Paul R. Pillar Although nobody knows exactly where Donald Trump intends to go with his campaign of seeking confrontation with Iran, his administration already has provided disconcerting parallels with the techniques an earlier U.S. administration used in selling its… Continue Reading

Did Trump Greenlight Neoconservative Takeover of State Dept. and CIA?

by Eli Clifton Donald Trump is likely to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo and choose Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) to take over the intelligence agency, according to “senior administration officials” who spoke to The… Continue Reading

Poll: Middle Easterners Want Good Relations with U.S., Russia

by Derek Davison A new survey from Zogby Research Services (ZRS) finds that large majorities across the Middle East want their governments to get along with both the United States and Russia, despite their hostility toward both countries’ involvement in… Continue Reading

What U.S. Enmity has Wrought in Iran

by Paul R. Pillar An important consequence of the unrelenting, unqualified hostility toward Iran that Donald Trump has made a centerpiece of his foreign policy is described in an article by Thomas Erdbrink of The New York Times about the… Continue Reading

Russia, Turkey, Iran Meet in Sochi

by Alexey Khlebnikov There has been extensive diplomacy across the Middle East in recent months. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Turkey and Iran. Saudi Arabian King Salman made a historic visit to Moscow. Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan visited Russia… Continue Reading