Military & Security

Shukriya Bradost Despite their many differences, both Tehran and Jerusalem are finding themselves lonely in the global arena. At this year’s UN General Assembly, two bitter enemies are locked in confrontation. However, Iran and Israel arrived with more in common than either would admit. Both states stand before …

Matt Cookson The United States can’t do much to ensure that democracy will emerge after the potential end of Iran’s theocracy. At the end of July, a broad spectrum of Iranian dissidents gathered in Munich for an event demonstrating a united opposition to the Islamist regime in Tehran. …

Jacob Heilbrunn The recruitment of Joey R. Hood is a kind of case study of the ability of ambitious government civil servants to reinvent themselves in the image of Trump. The Ben Franklin Fellowship is an organization of US diplomats and foreign policy professionals that was founded in …

Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a landmark mutual defence pact on Wednesday, deepening decades of military cooperation at a time of heightened instability in the Middle East. Background: Gulf Arab states have grown uneasy about U.S. reliability as a security guarantor. Israel’s recent airstrikes on Hamas leaders …

On September 9, 2025, something unthinkable happened: Israel bombed Qatar. For a nation that had long worn the dual identity of mediator and the U.S.’ ally, hosting one of the largest U.S. airbases. The attack was not simply a military operation but a strike at the very heart …

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has called for the complete dismantlement of Iran’s uranium-enrichment program, reinforcing a hardline stance despite recent IAEA-Iran agreements to resume inspections. NEWS BRIEF U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has called for the complete dismantlement of Iran’s uranium-enrichment program, reinforcing a hardline stance despite …

Bushra Ikram The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the only remaining bilateral arms control agreement between the United States (US) and Russia, is set to expire on February 5, 2026. The New START, which accounted for 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, was signed in …

Dr. Dan Steinbock Recently, a high-level UN conference urged Israel to commit to a Palestinian state and gave “unwavering support” to a two-state solution. The “New York Declaration” set out a phased plan to end the eight-decade conflict and the ongoing Gaza catastrophe. Co-chaired by France and Saudi …

Dur e Adan In international relations, soft power is the ability to co-opt rather than coerce, in contrast with hard power. It entails using attractiveness and appeal to influence other people’s preferences. Soft power, which uses foreign policy, political ideals, and culture to effect change, is non-coercive. Joseph …