From Bad to Worse in Syria’s Idlib Province
Bottom Line Up Front On January 13th, the Turkish military sent reinforcements to the border region with Syria. The move comes as the terrorist […] More
Middle East
America’s Middle East Policy: A Force for Good or A Recipe for Chaos?
Bottom Line Up Front On January 10, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech in Cairo, Egypt that portrayed the U.S. as […] More
Setting an International Cyber Agenda for 2019
Catherine Lotrionte has been the power broker behind Washington D.C.’s International Conference on Cyber Engagement for seven years now and she’s getting ready to host […] More
Morass in the Middle East: Top Diplomats Dispatched to Defend U.S. Policy
Bottom Line Up Front U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to eight Arab nations from January 8-15, as he attempts to lay […] More
President Trump’s Syria Surprise
The 19 December announcement by President Trump to withdraw ground troops from Syria was surprising to everyone but should have come as a shock to […] More
The U.S. Remains Incapable of Formulating a Coherent Syria Strategy
Bottom Line Up Front On December 19, 2018, President Trump unexpectedly announced a full withdrawal of all U.S. troops in Syria within the next […] More
Turkey Warns the U.S. It Will Launch Cross-Border Strikes into Syria
Bottom Line Up Front The U.S. will likely maintain an enduring military presence in Syria for years, in an extremely complex operating environment. Washington […] More
Re-Evaluating Cyber Security for 2019
2018 was a rough year for customers and companies impacted by cyber breaches. Businesses from Under Armour to Facebook to Marriott were targeted by hackers, […] More
Qatar Exits OPEC
Bottom Line Up Front Qatar’s withdrawal from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is strongly correlated to Doha’s ongoing rift with the cartel’s […] More
Trying to Feed Civilians While Starving Terrorists of Funds
Bottom Line Up Front According to its Office of the Inspector General, a top priority for USAID in 2019 is reforming its projects in […] More
The Art of Sidelining Intelligence
Bottom Line Up Front At some point today, the U.S. government is expected to release its assessment on the murder of U.S. resident Jamal […] More
War Before Peace: The Struggle to Control Hodeida
Bottom Line Up Front On November 11, reports indicate that at least 149 Yemenis were killed in fighting for the port city of Hodeida. […] More
The Islamic State of Graves
Bottom Line Up Front On November 6, the United Nations stated it had found over 200 mass graves in Iraq in areas once held […] More
Iran Sanctions Back in Force
Bottom Line Up Front The most significant U.S. sanctions on Iran—aimed at Tehran’s core energy and banking sectors—went back into effect on Monday November […] More
The U.S. Makes Noise but No Action Over Yemen
Bottom Line Up Front Last week, both U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis declared the need for a […] More
MbS: The New Saddam of Arabia?
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 […] More
Saudi Arabia Ineffective against Iran
Bottom Line Up Front The Trump Administration is seeking to minimize any U.S-Saudi rift over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in order […] More
Iran: Maximum Pressure and Perfect Storms
Last spring, two weeks after the Trump Administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the international arms control deal that curbed […] More