Palestinians: What Needs to Be Done by Khaled Abu Toameh
"Why Are You Killing Christians?" Trump Asks Nigeria's President by Raymond Ibrahim
American Election: Endgame for Party System? by Amir Taheri
James Barnett writes: In order to be competitive in Africa in the long-term, the US will ultimately need to focus more on African needs and interests than on Chinese behavior. Forging stronger ties across Africa, the world’s fastest growing continent in terms of population, is not simply something that great power competition necessitates. It is a smart move in its own right. – Hudson Institute
Erdoğan's Costly "Make Turkey Great Again" Program
By Burak Bekdil, October 25, 2020
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's "Make Turkey Great Again" campaign has come with military, diplomatic, geostrategic, and economic costs. Turkey's posturing as a military might has been met with a Moody's downgrade of Turkey's credit rating to B2, putting the country on a level with Egypt, Jamaica, and Rwanda.
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By Burak Bekdil, October 25, 2020
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's "Make Turkey Great Again" campaign has come with military, diplomatic, geostrategic, and economic costs. Turkey's posturing as a military might has been met with a Moody's downgrade of Turkey's credit rating to B2, putting the country on a level with Egypt, Jamaica, and Rwanda.
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Sudan: The Three Yeses
Editorial of The New York Sun | October 23, 2020
https://www.nysun.com/editorials/sudan-the-three-yeses/91311/
President Trump's latest peace deal related to Israel -- announced today with Sudan -- is hard to appreciate fully without reference to the Khartoum resolution of 1967. It was issued at a summit of the Arab League at Sudan's capital after the Jewish state emerged as the victor in the Six-Day War. The resolution came to be called "the three nos" -- "no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it."
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Editorial of The New York Sun | October 23, 2020
https://www.nysun.com/editorials/sudan-the-three-yeses/91311/
President Trump's latest peace deal related to Israel -- announced today with Sudan -- is hard to appreciate fully without reference to the Khartoum resolution of 1967. It was issued at a summit of the Arab League at Sudan's capital after the Jewish state emerged as the victor in the Six-Day War. The resolution came to be called "the three nos" -- "no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it."
Continue Reading
One Term of ‘Maximum Pressure’ on North Korea
A new book from H.R. McMaster offers a look back at Trump's attempted containment and wooing of Kim Jong-un.
A new book from H.R. McMaster offers a look back at Trump's attempted containment and wooing of Kim Jong-un.
Israel’s military steps up campaign against Iran and its proxies in southern Syria
IDF military operations continue in southern Syria against Iranian military entrenchment near the Golan border.
IDF military operations continue in southern Syria against Iranian military entrenchment near the Golan border.
Beijing’s new world order
Clifford D. May — The Washington Times
For countless centuries, tribes have fought and conquered other tribes, nations have fought and conquered other nations, empires have fought and conquered other empires. After World War II, a different future was imagined. The United States created the hopefully named “United Nations.” Americans began to build what would become known as the “liberal international rules-based order.” When the Soviet Union disintegrated, America was left as what Charles Krauthammer termed “the unipolar power.” Read more
Clifford D. May — The Washington Times
For countless centuries, tribes have fought and conquered other tribes, nations have fought and conquered other nations, empires have fought and conquered other empires. After World War II, a different future was imagined. The United States created the hopefully named “United Nations.” Americans began to build what would become known as the “liberal international rules-based order.” When the Soviet Union disintegrated, America was left as what Charles Krauthammer termed “the unipolar power.” Read more
How Big Tech factors into the US-China geopolitical competition
Emily de La Bruyère and Nathan Picarsic — The Hill
On Oct. 6, the House Judiciary Committee issued a report calling for new antitrust regulations to rein in Big Tech. This report comes after a 15-month antitrust probe into technology firms Google, Apple, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook — and with it, findings that the tech giants all hold monopoly power. Congress is making the wrong call — not because of what was in the House report, but because of what was not: These 450 pages, the antitrust probe, and the national conversation about Big Tech writ large ignore the strategic context. Read more
Emily de La Bruyère and Nathan Picarsic — The Hill
On Oct. 6, the House Judiciary Committee issued a report calling for new antitrust regulations to rein in Big Tech. This report comes after a 15-month antitrust probe into technology firms Google, Apple, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook — and with it, findings that the tech giants all hold monopoly power. Congress is making the wrong call — not because of what was in the House report, but because of what was not: These 450 pages, the antitrust probe, and the national conversation about Big Tech writ large ignore the strategic context. Read more
Afghanistan’s Terrorism Challenge
Afghanistan remains at the center of U.S. and international counterterrorism concerns. As America prepares to pull out its military forces from the country, policymakers remain divided on how terrorist groups in Afghanistan might challenge the security of the U.S. and the threat they pose to allies and regional countries. Advocates of withdrawal argue that the terrorism threat from Afghanistan is overstated, while opponents say that it remains significant and is likely to grow after the drawdown of U.S. forces. This report evaluates the terrorism challenge in Afghanistan by focusing on the political trajectories of three key armed actors in the Afghan context: al-Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban, and the Islamic State.
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Afghanistan remains at the center of U.S. and international counterterrorism concerns. As America prepares to pull out its military forces from the country, policymakers remain divided on how terrorist groups in Afghanistan might challenge the security of the U.S. and the threat they pose to allies and regional countries. Advocates of withdrawal argue that the terrorism threat from Afghanistan is overstated, while opponents say that it remains significant and is likely to grow after the drawdown of U.S. forces. This report evaluates the terrorism challenge in Afghanistan by focusing on the political trajectories of three key armed actors in the Afghan context: al-Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban, and the Islamic State.
Read paper
Summer 2020 Issue: MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE
The Past, Present, and Future of the Trans-Atlantic Alliance
Via Decision 2020In the twenty-first edition of the Decision 2020 Report, Hoover fellows analyze the policy implications of America’s commitment to Europe’s defenses, Washington’s strong stance against Russian aggression, and the state of the European Union as a capable and cohesive governing body.
Via Decision 2020In the twenty-first edition of the Decision 2020 Report, Hoover fellows analyze the policy implications of America’s commitment to Europe’s defenses, Washington’s strong stance against Russian aggression, and the state of the European Union as a capable and cohesive governing body.
Narcoterrorism and U.S. National Security
By Carlo J.V. Caro, RealClearDefense: "The arrest of Mexico's former Defense Minister, Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, on drug trafficking charges, shows once more how far certain "organized crime groups" have penetrated state institutions and how these groups have transformed into transnational terrorist insurgencies that are challenging the entire hemisphere's security."
Marine Corps Infantry Dilemma
By Lucas Wood, Proceedings: "The Marine Corps is not manned, organized, trained, or equipped to compete against near-peer adversaries in the current and future operating environment. The 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps General David H. Berger recognized this delinquency and directed the Marine Corps to focus on force design and warfighting as two of five focus areas in his July 2019 Commandant’s Planning Guidance."
The 5 Faces Of Chinese Espionage
By Nicholas Eftimiades, Breaking Defense: "Chinese intelligence operations are the first in modern times to use, as a foundation, the whole of society."
By Carlo J.V. Caro, RealClearDefense: "The arrest of Mexico's former Defense Minister, Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, on drug trafficking charges, shows once more how far certain "organized crime groups" have penetrated state institutions and how these groups have transformed into transnational terrorist insurgencies that are challenging the entire hemisphere's security."
Marine Corps Infantry Dilemma
By Lucas Wood, Proceedings: "The Marine Corps is not manned, organized, trained, or equipped to compete against near-peer adversaries in the current and future operating environment. The 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps General David H. Berger recognized this delinquency and directed the Marine Corps to focus on force design and warfighting as two of five focus areas in his July 2019 Commandant’s Planning Guidance."
The 5 Faces Of Chinese Espionage
By Nicholas Eftimiades, Breaking Defense: "Chinese intelligence operations are the first in modern times to use, as a foundation, the whole of society."
Mehdi Khalaji writes: Today, however, a new sense of urgency among Iran’s political elite is undeniable as the country faces a major crisis. […]The Supreme Leader’s demise could produce chaos so great as to jeopardize the stability of the political system. This would hardly mark the crowning achievement Khamenei seeks to achieve with America’s next president, but rather the failure of his life’s work. – Washington Institute
Amos Harel writes: The Israeli army is seeing, more than in the past, cracks in the three-way alliance of interests between the regime and its two major patrons, Russia and Iran. […]Iran, more so than Hezbollah, has open accounts with the United States and Israel. Surprises are always possible but less than two weeks before the presidential election in the United States, it appears that Iran – like the rest of the countries in the region – prefers to wait for the results there. – Haaretz
Tom Rogan writes: Instead, Erdogan requires confrontation. The United States should join with the European Union in preparing sanctions on the Turkish central bank. The Turkish lira is already at pathetic lows (in no insignificant part, thanks to Erdogan’s economic mismanagement). Let’s see whether the sultan feels so supreme when his economy implodes. – Washington Examiner
Tom Rogan writes: U.S. and common NATO sanctions action is now needed. It is not enough simply to continue on the present track of restricting Turkey from accessing the F-35 strike fighter jet. […]The Turkish lira is already near junk value, hovering at extraordinary lows. Any new sanctions would carry major economic consequences. Erdogan must make a choice: his pet project from Putin or his economy. – Washington Examiner
Tom Rogan writes: U.S. and common NATO sanctions action is now needed. It is not enough simply to continue on the present track of restricting Turkey from accessing the F-35 strike fighter jet. […]The Turkish lira is already near junk value, hovering at extraordinary lows. Any new sanctions would carry major economic consequences. Erdogan must make a choice: his pet project from Putin or his economy. – Washington Examiner
Yuval Karni writes: Netanyahu marketed the deal with the UAE as “peace in exchange for peace.” Sure, Israel did not have to make any territorial concessions, but it paid a price, both politically and security-wise. First of all, Netanyahu forfeited his years-long vision of applying Israeli sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, giving up on a not only political asset, but also on one of his strongest campaign promises. Secondly, the country forfeited its strategic superiority in the region and allowed an Arab nation to be on the same technological footing as Israel. – Ynet
Michael Knights writes: Having emerged out of anonymity around 15 years ago, KH and other top-tier IRGC-QF proxies in Iraq may once again be ordered to atomize, reconfigure, and sink back into the shadows. It should not be surprising if today’s greatly enlarged KH itself begins to fall victim to factionalism and defections, especially due to the absence of either Soleimani or al-Muhandis as a peacemaker. The aforementioned formation of Al-Warithuun (The Inheritors) could be a signpost of a shaving-off of younger, talented, and anonymous operators that is highly reminiscent of the formation of KH itself. – Washington Institute
Abdulkhaleq Abdulla writes: The Arab Gulf states’ time-tested recipe has worked well with President Trump, the most unpredictable president in American history, and it will also be able to accommodate President Biden as well. At the end of the day, a Biden presidency might not be all that different from Obama’s; indeed, some have already dubbed him “Obama lite.” – Middle East Institute
Joseph J. Collins writes: Afghanistan once again stands at a crossroads. The next U.S. president will decide whether to increase support for Kabul, or withdraw all of our troops and leave Afghan forces to fight on alone against the Taliban and its ugly foreign backers, all of whom would delight in our failure there. A precipitous exit from Afghanistan is not in America’s interests. – The Hill
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