by Paul R. Pillar A combination of circumstances has increased the risk that armed conflict will break out between the United States and Iran. Such a war is no certainty, but the chance that one will occur is greater today… Continue Reading
by James M. Dorsey Saudi Arabia, in a first move to pressure mostly Muslim states to join its campaign against Qatar, has persuaded six sub-Saharan African nations with threats of reduced financial aid and restricted quotas for the haj, the… Continue Reading
by Graham E. Fuller The tiny Gulf state of Qatar is today under harsh siege from nearly everybody in the Middle East, and portrayed as a “supporter of terrorism.” The US has bought into the mantra. What’s really going on… Continue Reading
by Paul R. Pillar That “Arab NATO” didn’t last very long, did it? The break with Qatar by some of its Arab brethren, including its nearest neighbors, is impressively comprehensive, involving a breach of diplomatic relations and an economic and… Continue Reading
by Jesse Schatz Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s death on January 8 was a major blow for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s traditionally marginalized reformists and moderates. The former Iranian president’s passing raised many questions about how the Iranian regime, without… Continue Reading