Iran Sanctions Policy Increasingly Throttles Free Trade in Ideas

by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj In 1988, as legislators were creating the legal basis for the modern use of economic sanctions as a tool of American foreign policy, an important amendment was added to two laws, the Trading With the Enemy Act… Continue Reading

Gulf Dispute Heightens US Frustration with Saudis

by Giorgio Cafiero Nearly five months after the Anti-Terror Quartet (ATQ)—Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—severed diplomatic and economic relations with Qatar, Washington is coming to terms with its limited capacity to push the involved parties… Continue Reading

Permanent Warfare as Normality

by Paul R. Pillar The newest issue of Foreign Affairs features the theme of “America’s Forgotten Wars,” with a cover illustration that juxtaposes a carefree scene of Americans enjoying a picnic with that of American soldiers fighting and incurring casualties… Continue Reading

Managing the Disruptive Aftermath of Somalia’s Worst Terror Attack

by International Crisis Group The devastating twin truck bombings in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu on Saturday, October 14, 2017, mark the deadliest attack in that country since the current phase of its war began in early 2007. It almost certainly was… Continue Reading

Risks of Ejecting the Taliban’s Office from Qatar

by Giorgio Cafiero In 2013, with support from the American, Afghan, and Qatari governments, the Taliban opened an office in Doha. The office was to serve as a platform to engage the Taliban’s representatives in talks to bring peace to… Continue Reading