Society

For decades, the global economy has relied on a quiet but powerful assumption: the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints will remain open. Two of the most important among them are the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb. Individually, each is a pressure point. Together, they form a …

Wars do not just redraw borders. They redraw assumptions. The ongoing confrontation with Iran has triggered something deeper than a regional crisis—it has reignited a global debate that many believed had been settled after the Cold War: does nuclear capability equal survival? Across capitals, from Europe to Asia …

In the Gulf, water is not a given. It is engineered. Across a region where vast oil wealth meets extreme natural scarcity, life depends on a technological miracle: turning seawater into drinking water. Today, Gulf states produce nearly 40 percent of the world’s desalinated water—an achievement that has …

Hosein Mortada The United States doesn’t just export goods, services, or technology. Its most powerful export—the one that underpins everything else—is the United States dollar. That export is now facing a slow, strategic challenge. This is not a crisis that will unfold overnight, nor one defined by dramatic …

Nikolas K. Gvosdev The “world war” of the 18th century, with its shifting coalitions and proxy fronts, is more akin to the 21st century’s wars than the 20th century’s. At the close of the classic 1990 episode of The Simpsons, “Bart the General,” Bart Simpson solemnly intones that …

Peter Suciu Chinese research vessels have spent years studying the world’s seafloor for ostensibly civilian purposes—but have specifically done so in locations with high military significance. In October 2021, the United States Navy’s Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) collided with an uncharted seamount in the South China …

Joshua Yaphe If the Gulf states want to help decide Iran’s post-war future, they will have to court the Trump administration and demonstrate their value yet again. The outcome of the war in Iran is still hard to predict, but some of the consequences for the Arab Gulf …

Dave McCormick Decisiveness, humility, and vigilance are needed if the United States is to prevail in the war with Iran. Editor’s Note: The following was adapted from Senator Dave McCormick’s (R-PA) remarks delivered before the Alexander Hamilton Society on March 11, 2026. It has been edited for style …

Justin Mitchell Both Moscow and Beijing stand to benefit from a prolonged war between the United States and Iran. Iran is isolated, fighting a war for its survival. Yet China and Russia, Iran’s supposed partners, are conspicuously absent. Both countries condemned the attacks on Iran and called for …