by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj Last week epitomized the highs and lows of hoping for an improvement in US-Iran relations. A BBC report on Sept. 5 that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had approved Iranian cooperation with the US military in the… Continue Reading
by Eldar Mamedov The unraveling of Iraq may have some interesting, even alarming implications for the Caspian Basin state of Azerbaijan. Unlike other Arab states in turmoil, including Libya and Syria, Iraq has a religious and cultural profile that somewhat… Continue Reading
by Jim Lobe U.S. President Barack Obama’s new strategy to “degrade, and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is being met with widespread scepticism among both hawks and doves, as well as regional specialists. While Congress… Continue Reading
by Robert E. Hunter “Those who in quarrels interpose, are apt to get a bloody nose.” —Lord Palmerston on keeping Britain from supporting the South in the American Civil War. This Wednesday night President Obama will lay out his strategy… Continue Reading
by Paul Pillar President Obama has been having a rough summer, reflected in poll numbers that are as low as they have been during his presidency. Clearly a concatenation of developments overseas that appear to most Americans to be to some… Continue Reading