The Trump-Netanyahu summit in Washington in the final days of 2025 was not merely a courtesy visit for the region but the announcement of a new geopolitical design. While thanking Netanyahu for the “Israel Peace Prize”he received, Trump signaled that he was preparing the region for a new …

Yemen’s civil war has escalated after a separatist movement backed by the United Arab Emirates gained ground in the south, causing rifts within the Saudi-led coalition that was formed to combat the Iran-aligned Houthi group. The conflict began in late 2014 when the Houthi movement, known as Ansar …

Iran’s policy toward Iraq since the 2003 US invasion has been shaped far more by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps than by Iran’s civilian diplomats. Under Khamenei’s rule the IRGC became the regime’s powerhouse. Mohsen Sazegara, an exiled Iranian dissident who helped found the IRGC, describes the Guard …

The U. S. carried out a military operation early Saturday morning, capturing Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. This action ended months of pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration and received criticism from some global leaders. Maduro was reportedly on a warship headed for New York to face criminal charges. …

Venezuela may struggle to increase its crude oil production for years, despite potential investments from U. S. oil companies promised by President Donald Trump after Nicolás Maduro’s capture. The country has the largest estimated oil reserves globally, but production has decreased significantly over the decades due to mismanagement …

In a move that surprised few but underscores deep underlying tensions, OPEC+ chose to maintain steady oil production at its recent meeting, even as political fissures widen between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and the United States asserted control over Venezuela following the capture of President …

Joe Boueiz Lebanon’s stability and the disarmament of Hezbollah will depend on the longevity and eventual resolution of the Gaza ceasefire. In his 2010 book, Beware of Small States: Lebanon, Battleground of the Middle East, David Hirst described Lebanon as the Middle East’s “battleground,” where regional and global …

Brandon J. Weichert The raid on Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s compound in Caracas—involving units from the US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines—highlighted the US military’s extreme proficiency at inter-service operations. “Operation Absolute Resolve,” the codename for the United States’ snatching of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, was a …

Ahmed Charai The rhetoric of international law all too often serves to buttress lawless regimes that undermine US interests. The international system is confronting a profound moral and strategic crisis. For decades, the principle of state sovereignty—originally conceived to protect nations from external domination—has been systematically distorted into …