The Real Russian Mission in Afghanistan
The House Foreign Affairs Committee is focusing on reported intelligence that Russia placed bounties on the lives of US troops in Afghanistan. The committee is […] More
Posts Tagged ‘President Trump’
United States and Iran Heading Slowly Toward the Brink Again
Bottom Line up Front The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated both Iran and the United States, but has not prevented tensions between them from escalating […] More
The Usefulness of Inspectors General
OPINION — Up to now, a politically divided Congress has been unsuccessful in slowing down President Trump’s accumulation of power, which thanks to the Covid-19 […] More
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Spreads Amid Fears of a Global Pandemic
Bottom Line Up Front Countries are struggling to counter the spread of the coronavirus respiratory disease, while also trying to figure out how to […] More
United States and Taliban Reach Agreement to End 18-Year Long Conflict
Bottom Line Up Front Over the weekend, the United States and the Afghan Taliban, also referred to as the Quetta Shura Taliban, reached an […] More
Iran Nuclear Deal Unraveling
Bottom Line Up Front Europe’s use of the formal dispute resolution provision of the Iran nuclear deal is a consequence of the Trump administration’s […] More
What Happens Next with the Tensions Between Iran and the United States?
Bottom Line Up Front Iran responded to the death of IRGC-QF Major General Qassim Soleimani by launching nearly two dozen ballistic missiles at Iraqi […] More
Iran Prevailing in Iraq and Lebanon
Bottom Line up Front Iran is pursuing a variety of methods in an effort to preserve its influence in Iraq and Lebanon in the […] More
U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks Resume After Impasse
Bottom Line Up Front Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy for reconciliation in Afghanistan, recently returned to Kabul to jumpstart political negotiations with the Taliban. Talks […] More
The Continued Threat Posed by Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations
Bottom Line Up Front On November 4, 2019, nine Americans were killed in a targeted attack – believed to be perpetrated by a drug […] More
Leaders to Watch in 2020
OPINION — As 2019 draws to a close, it is worth re-examining not only which leaders attracted media attention, but also looking ahead with respect […] More
NATO Celebrates 70th Birthday Amid Growing Uncertainty
Bottom Line Up Front NATO countries gathered this week to celebrate the alliance’s 70th anniversary amidst growing uncertainty over the institution’s future. In a recent […] More
U.S. Buildup Not Cowing Iran
Bottom Line Up Front The top commander for U.S. forces in the Middle East warned that the growing U.S. military presence in the Persian […] More
The National Security Threat of Peddling Russian Disinformation
Bottom Line Up Front Senior U.S. officials have inexplicably parroted statements echoing the Kremlin’s talking points that Russia was a victim of a Ukrainian […] More
Allegations of Intimidation and Torture Stalk Sisi’s Egypt
Bottom Line Up Front Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi continues his crackdown on any dissent, real or imagined. Since anti-corruption demonstrations began in late […] More
Baghdadi May be Dead, but the So-Called Islamic State Will Live On
Bottom Line Up Front On October 26, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid by U.S. forces in northern Syria near the Turkish […] More
U.S. Sanctions Approach a Blockade
Bottom Line Up Front On September 20, the Trump administration sought to completely shut Iran out of the international financial system by imposing new […] More
The United States Betrays Its True Allies in Syria
Bottom Line Up Front On Sunday evening, the Trump administration released a statement from the White House press secretary that signals a major shift […] More
Zarif Crashes G-7 Meeting
Bottom Line Up Front Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s visit to the G-7 meeting on Sunday signals European resistance to the Trump administration’s […] More
Washington and Riyadh in Lockstep on Foreign Policy
Bottom Line Up Front The Trump administration is so firmly aligned with Saudi Arabia, even bipartisan measures in Congress to curtail U.S. arms sales […] More
‘Amok’
a-mok (adverb) – to behave uncontrollable and disruptively. Synonym: go berserk In the midst of debate over whether President Donald Trump’s pick to replace Dan […] More
Downing of Iranian Drone Reignites Tensions between Tehran and Washington
Bottom Line Up Front President Trump’s revelation that the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone on July 18 suggests that tensions in the Gulf […] More
Saudi Arabia’s Persistent Human Rights Violations
Bottom Line Up Front The UN recently released a report that squarely places blame for the murder of prominent Saudi dissident and U.S.-based journalist, […] More
The U.S.-Iran Crisis
Bottom Line Up Front The U.S. and Iran are close to a conflict that would have no clear end and could quickly spread throughout […] More