MbS: The New Saddam of Arabia?

by Emile Nakhleh

As Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) has terrorized his opponents at home and abroad, fear has spread within the Saudi kingdom. Has he become the new Saddam of Arabia? As Iraq’s Saddam Hussein did in the...

A King, a President and the Fate of MbS

by Ambassador Gary Grappo

Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, (MbS) are confronting a crisis. How they manage to extricate the kingdom will have potentially long-term consequences for the kingdom, its...

The Case for Giving a U.S. Space Force Some Lift

The National Space Council voted this week to move forward with six recommendations intended to provide some lift for the creation of a U.S. Space Force.  The recommendations include: Creating of a...

What Does A Cyber Reshuffle Mean for Business?

The recent release of the Department of Defense (DoD) cyber strategy essentially announced the department’s ambitions to resume the role of the 800-pound gorilla in cyber. The offensively focused...

Iran's False Narrative on Al Qaeda

by Norman T. Roule

The United States and its allies routinely describe Iran as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.  Despite this designation, the regime proudly supports Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and...

Colonial Palestinian Policy Doomed to Fail

by Emile Nakhleh

OPINION — Last month, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration is eliminating previously approved funds to support Palestinian-Israeli civilian engagement. USAID has wisely...

Cyber Advisor

Election Security is National Security

by Rob Joyce

Rob Joyce is the Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity Strategy at the National Security Agency.  He was also a key speaker at DEF CON 26, the premiere hacker’s convention held every year in Las...

Zimbabwe: A Double-Standard Undermining U.S. Interests

by John Siko

Let’s be honest: Zimbabwe’s election was not perfect. And the post-election environment was seriously marred by the shooting of six protesters by soldiers that had been called out to control...

Iran gambles, Moscow Pays in Syria

by Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin & Ari Heistein

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin served as chief of Israeli military intelligence from 2006-2010.  He is now director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).  Ari Heistein is special...

Trump's Threats Against Iran Ignore Middle East Realities

by Emile Nakhleh

By threatening a devastating war against Iran, President Donald Trump’s recent response to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani’s benign statement about “the mother of all peace” and “the...