Geopolitics

Iran has made good on its threat to retaliate against a deadly strike on its consulate in Syria with a large aerial strike against Israel on Saturday. The drone and missile strikes could spark a major escalation of fighting in the Middle East amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. …

Even prior to Iran’s strike Saturday, U.S. officials had been quietly counseling Israel to exercise caution in any reaction. Those warnings have continued in the hours since. In a social media post, Netanyahu pledged victory in the faceoff — “ Together we will win,” he wrote. Some Israeli …

Despite the ongoing war, the states in the Gulf Cooperation Council still see Israel as a legitimate regional player and reject Hamas’s call for radical violence. Nearly six months ago, Hamas upended the Middle East equilibrium. Now, with the war in Gaza still raging, the Gulf Cooperation Council …

Michelle Grisé While Russia would prefer the West distracted from Ukraine, a direct Israel-Iran conflict would expose its vulnerabilities in the Middle East. An Israeli airstrike on an Iranian embassy in Syria last week killed three IRGC-QF generals and four other Iranian military officers. Iran is expected to …

Zalmay Khalilzada Tehran will continue to increase its domination of Iraq and progress towards regional domination if it is allowed to do so. The United States and Israel are awaiting a threatened “significant” Iranian response to the attack on its consulate in Syria, but this is just part …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh In the midst of a nation grappling with challenges, there are voices that echo with lamentation and concern for Jordan because of regional turmoil. These voices, borne from genuine love for the land and its people, have emerged, urging Jordanians to be vigilant and safeguard …

Wednesday on the RealClearPolitics radio show (Monday through Friday at 6:00 p.m. EDT on SiriusXM’s P.O.T.U.S. Channel 124), RCP elections analyst Sean Trende discusses his new piece asking whether Donald Trump is really on track to win the highest proportion of black voters for any Republican since Nixon: …

Nathan Sher As Beijing deprioritizes the real estate sector, it is doubling down on investment in science, technology, and national defense. In 2023, China’s economy grew at the slowest pace since 1990, apart from two years during the COVID-19 pandemic when the country was closed to the outside …

Enia Kevin It is in Washington’s best interest to back Israel’s Rafah operation as it would minimize civilian casualties and ensure the success of the operation. Six months into the war with Hamas, throughout which Jerusalem has mostly managed to keep Washington on-side, Israel’s proposed IDF operation in …