Why Iran Suspects Western Calls for Transparency

by Emma Scott On May 20, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei spoke at the Imam Hussein Military University in Tehran. Referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. watchdog mandated to deal with nuclear issues, he said that… Continue Reading

Islamic State: Washington and Baghdad “Don’t Get It”

by Wayne White Since Baghdad’s recapture of the central Iraqi city of Tikrit, the Islamic State (ISIS or IS) has hit back hard. IS broke into Iraq’s encircled Baiji refinery earlier this month and lately has seized Ramadi. As we… Continue Reading

Will U.S. Mideast Policy Take A New Turn?

by Mitchell Plitnick The ongoing spat between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United States President Barack Obama has drowned out an important issue. The entire question of the Israel-Palestine conflict seems to be out of sight and out of mind in… Continue Reading

Iran Military Option: An Increasingly Daunting Challenge

by Wayne White Although the Obama administration appears to be currently focused on resisting calls to increase sanctions on Iran while negotiations over its nuclear program are in session, the far more dangerous “military option” is alive and well in… Continue Reading

Bookends of America’s Broken Regional Policy

by James A. Russell It’s hard not to cringe watching the United States careen around the Middle East these days, dispensing bombs, money and political fealty in various doses depending on the crisis of the day to a series of… Continue Reading