Asia Pacific

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 …

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 …

Mansoor Ahmad The world witnessed major conflicts in 2025, with one of the most alarming escalations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, India and Pakistan. If it had not been stopped in time, there was a potential threat of a nuclear war. Donald Trump is taking credit for stopping …

Mohammed Ayoob President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran arose from a severe misunderstanding of US interests in the Middle East. President Donald Trump had long been opposed to US military involvement in wars in the Middle East. He had excoriated previous administrations for their military involvement in …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh There are moments in history when the stage is stripped bare, when the actors—once draped in grandeur—are revealed as mere performers reciting borrowed lines. The current war orbiting Iran, the United States, and Israel is one such moment: a geopolitical drama that would make Niccolò Machiavelli nod …

Lexy Reid 20% of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a small chokepoint whose use is now being massively disrupted by war, drone strikes and the competing interests of great powers. The current Iran War has transformed the Strait of Hormuz from a potential risk …

Lama Al-Rakad Russia’s recent strategic moves in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in coastal areas, highlight a recurring pattern in geopolitics: powers that neglect to empower local populations often achieve only temporary gains. Using George Friedman’s analytical framework, this article examines how Russia’s reliance on direct military and economic …

Lyle J. Goldstein The Iran War is distracting the United States from the most pressing issues facing the global order, namely, US-China relations. The costs to the United States of President Donald Trump’s war against Iran are growing both in blood and treasure. The Strait of Hormuz is …

Laurence Norman The prospects of a diplomatic deal ending the war between the U.S. and Iran look dim right now. But Middle East veterans say there is a pathway for an agreement if the two sides want to engage. Mediators from Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan are pushing for …