The ongoing confrontation between the US and Iran is also setting a stage for some novel norms of warfare – those that are less visible and transformative in nature. The emergence of the nuclear age is its best manifestation. The United States for the first time in history, …
Read More »Why Russia Can’t Capitalize on the Iran War’s Gas Shock
The Iran War has tightened global gas markets, but Russia no longer has the flexibility, routes, or market power to turn turmoil into strategic gain. When the Iran War disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and tightened global gas balances, a familiar assumption quickly resurfaced: Russia, possessing the largest proven natural gas …
Read More »Iran’s Shadow War May Extend to the Sahel
Dr. Cherkaoui Roudoani In the early hours of a recent morning, surveillance aircraft tracked an unmarked convoy crossing the desert corridors linking the Sahel to the Atlantic coast. It carried no insignia, followed no declared route—and yet, it revealed a growing strategic reality: instability in peripheral regions rarely …
Read More »Middle East and the Balance of Power: A Region in Strategic Flux
By Muhammad Hassan Al-Saadi The Middle East is passing through a pivotal moment in which the threads of politics are tightly interwoven with the smoke of artillery. Security threats are no longer confined to isolated fronts; instead, the region is experiencing what can be described as a state …
Read More »Al-Makahleh: President Trump’s National Address on Iran
Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh President Trump is scheduled to deliver a prime‑time address from the White House on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. The stated purpose is “an important update on Iran,” but the broader context suggests a high‑stakes effort to manage domestic and international expectations amid an ongoing …
Read More »Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb: What If Both Close at the Same Time?
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 …
Read More »How the Seven Years’ War Can Help Us Understand Today’s Conflicts
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 …
Read More »Why China Is Mapping the World’s Oceans
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 …
Read More »American Leadership in a Time of War
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 …
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