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

Political Islam and US Policy in 2015

by Emile Nakhleh This year Arab political Islam will be greatly influenced by US regional policy, as it has been since the Obama administration came into office six years ago. Indeed, as the US standing in the region rose with… Continue Reading

Iran is no Cuba

by Hooshang Amirahmadi President Barack Obama’s move towards normalization of relations with Cuba has generated lots of hope and analyses that a similar development may take place with Iran. Jim Lobe, founder of the Lobe Log and Washington Bureau Chief of… Continue Reading

US Fight Against Islamic State: Long Haul Ahead

by Wayne White As 2014 draws to a close, there is no shortage of alternative suggestions about how to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS or IS). Most of them involve US escalation, driven by exaggerated notions of IS capabilities. Retaking… Continue Reading