Lawfare Against Israeli Soldiers
Israeli tourist Yuval Vagdani had to escape for the second time. On October 7, 2023, he survived the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival near Gaza. Then in the first week of January 2025, he escaped Brazil ahead of a court-ordered investigation into his service as a military reservist in Gaza. He was vacationing […]
What Does China Want?
The military forces of the People’s Republic are formidable. What are Beijing’s plans for them? What does China want in the world? Surely no question has greater importance for the year — and indeed the decade — ahead. The country’s communist government has used China’s remarkably rapid economic growth over the last four decades to amass […]
Trump’s Foreign Policy To-Do List for 2025
When Donald Trump takes the oath of office on January 20, 2025, he will confront a world in turmoil. What are the four biggest foreign policy crises/opportunities that he will likely face over the next year? The first and most obvious is Ukraine. Ever since he invaded on February 24, 2022, Russian president Vladimir Putin […]
A Fateful Debate in Tehran
There are growing indications – not yet certainties – that the top echelons of the Iranian regime are locked in a fierce debate over a comprehensive reassessment of their regional policies. The Farsi media and public statements by politicians allow only a glimpse of the intensity of the controversy. Still, the ongoing heated discussions have […]
Assad’s Legacy of Chemical Weapons
The events that unfolded in Syria over the last weeks surprised not only the United States, but also Russia, Iran, and the Syrian people themselves. As Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus for asylum in Russia, his security forces shed their uniforms and their weapons and disappeared into the countryside. One of the most concerning things still […]
A Middle East Strategy for the Trump Administration Should Lead with Business Opportunities
The Middle East that awaits a second Trump administration offers unusual opportunity. The US can double down on two major successes – Israel’s war against Iran’s proxy armies and the Abraham Accords peace deal – to expand its regional alliance. At the end of the first Trump administration, the Abraham Accords expanded the alliance at […]
The Labour Government in Britain After Six Months
Is it time to send 007 to Washington to serve as the new British ambassador? Gideon Rachman, the chief foreign affairs correspondent for the Financial Times, mooted this possibility to me in mid-December as we enjoyed lunch at Sweetings, a restaurant dating to the Victorian era located near his newspaper’s offices in the London City […]
The Rise and Fall of Spain’s New Left
In late October Spanish political life was rocked by the resignation of Iñigo Errejón, a member of parliament and key figure in the current governing coalition, following accusations of sexual misconduct. Errejón led efforts to build a new force on the left, most recently as the spokesman for Sumar (“Join”), a grouping of national and […]
The Key to Japan’s Economic Revival
In 2010, Japan fell behind China from second to the third place among the largest economies in the world. In 2023, Japan slipped again to fourth place, falling behind Germany. The recent drop has a variety of short and longer-term explanations: the economy contracted for two consecutive quarters in late 2023, the yen has steadily […]
Expanding US-Pakistan Relations Through Mining Projects
The geopolitics of minerals has changed in the last five years, driven largely by the global focus on electric cars. The demand for minerals used in batteries, like lithium, cobalt, and copper, will quadruple by 2040. Among top consumers is the US military; its drone fleets, reconnaissance robots, and directed energy weapons will run on […]
Will the Mess in Syria Produce Positive Results?
The speed with which the Syrian regime crumbled surprised even Syria-watchers, those who knew the depth of the rot. Corrupt, hated, cruel – that’s how Assad’s regime was seen by Syrian citizens. Many kept protesting against the regime for many months in southern, Druze-dominated Sweida province as well as other spots. The outside world stopped […]
Israel's Strategic Options regarding Iran
Israel’s strategic options regarding Iran are at a critical juncture. The diminishing threat from proxies and the impairment of Iran’s air defense capabilities have shifted the focus squarely onto Iran’s nuclear program in the immediate time frame. Iran’s threatening public declarations and technical advancements are a red warning light. For over a year, Israel has […]
