Egypt’s transitional military regime threw down a direct challenge to the Obama Administration on Monday when government prosecutors announced that 43 people, including 19 Americans, will stand trial for allegedly interfering in Egypt’s internal politics. Egyptian officials claim that they illegally funded political groups in Egypt’s parliamentary elections, while the… Read more
Israel has signaled once again that it is weighing an attack, if all else fails, to halt Iran’s advancing nuclear weapons program as an act of anticipatory self-defense. This time, more officials in Washington and other capitals are listening. Iranian officials have repeatedly warned that Tehran will retaliate against the… Read more
On January 10, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad defiantly threatened to crush the popular uprising against his brutal dictatorship with an “iron fist.” Syria has been engulfed in intensifying political violence that has claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people, most of them nonviolent protesters demanding basic human rights. Nearly… Read more
On January 8, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lands in Venezuela to start a brief but highly symbolic Latin American visit. The Iranian leader aims to bolster ties with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and some of the region’s most strident anti-American leaders. For the Obama Administration, the Iranian visit reflects a continuing… Read more
After three years of the Obama Doctrine, the place of the United States in the world is less secure than when the President came into office. That trend must change. Nor can foreign policy be left on the backburner any longer with Washington only focusing on domestic issues. The White… Read more
Cully Stimson discusses Karzai. … Read more
The Obama Administration, which once pledged to impose “crippling sanctions” on Iran’s hostile regime, now seeks to dilute economic sanctions that Congress is considering against Iran. The proposed sanctions, contained in an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, would penalize foreign financial institutions that do business… Read more
Abstract: In September 2011, the Palestinian Authority requested membership for “Palestine” in the United Nations—violating its commitment under the 1993 Oslo Accords to seek statehood through negotiations with Israel. Prospective U.N. member states must first receive a recommendation from the Security Council. The Obama Administration has vowed to veto, if… Read more
Abstract: Iran will remain a hostile power that poses threats to its neighbors, the United States, and its own people as long as the current regime remains in power. International sanctions have weakened the Iranian economy, but sanctions alone will not halt Iran’s nuclear… Read more
It is too soon to tell if the Iraq war was "worth it." That depends on whether Iraq can make the difficult transition to become a stable democracy and an ally against Islamist extremism, Iran, and terrorist groups. But on balance, the Iraq war was a risk worth taking in… Read more
(Archived document, may contain errors) THE SOVIET INVAS./ON OF AFGHANISTAN INTRODUCTION On December 27, 1979, under cover cf an ongoing Soviet military buildup, heavily-armed elements of a Soviet airborne brigade were airlifted into Kabul, Afghanistan, to violently overthrow the regime of President Hafizollah Amin. Within hours after the beginning of this Trojan Horse-type operation, Soviet… Read more
Abstract: Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions are ominous in light of its hostile foreign policy and longstanding support for terrorism. But Iran's repeated threats to annihilate the state of Israel while it develops the world's most dangerous weapons have created an even more explosive situation.… Read more
Abstract: The Obama Administration's engagement policy toward Iran has failed to defuse the nuclear standoff. Instead, Iran has continued to conceal and lie about its nuclear weapons program in an attempt to stall until it can present… Read more
Abstract The U.S. military force structure envisioned by the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review and the President’s FY 2012 budget request is inadequate to protect vital U.S. national interests. After the “procurement holiday” during the 1990s and the wear and tear… Read more
(Archived document, may contain errors) 76 February 28, 1979 THE IRANIAN OIL CRISIS INTRODUCTION Following a lengthy series of paralyzing strikes and sporadic work slowdowns or ganized by anti-Shah oilworkers last fall, the Iranian oil industry ground to a near halt and suspended oil ex ports on December 26, throwing world oil markets… Read more
The falling statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad is an evocative image. It signals that the U.S.-led military action against the Hussein regime has been a success. This signal of success is backed by tangible evidence of a successful military operation in more substantive terms. This evidence is found in a review of the… Read more
Since Israel deployed its new Iron Dome artillery and rocket interceptor system in April, it successfully used it to shoot down Hamas Grad rockets. The Israeli experience with Iron Dome shows that the criterion of cost effectiveness for missile defenses has been defined too narrowly in the United States. … Read more
The effectiveness of the Administration’s “new era of engagement”[1] to build goodwill toward the U.S. at the U.N. based upon mutual respect and cooperation will be tested this week when Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas formally requests U.N. membership for the Palestinian delegation. Despite… Read more
Thousands are dead in Syria, with more blood spilled each day. Iran is within arm's reach of a nuclear weapon,...… Read more
[caption id="attachment_90516" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Americans are held as protests continue in Cairo,...… Read more
As Israel weighs an attack against Iran in an effort to destroy its nuclear weapons program, Washington is still...… Read more
Appearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on January 31, Director of National Intelligence (DNI)...… Read more
President Obama’s state of the union speech tonight mentioned Iran, which poses the greatest immediate challenge to...… Read more
The European Union yesterday imposed an embargo on future oil imports from Iran in an unprecedented escalation of...… Read more
With economic issues dominating the domestic political agenda and much of our foreign policy focused on combating...… Read more
Iranian legislator Ali Motahari claimed on Wednesday that President Obama called for direct talks in a secret letter...… Read more
[caption id="attachment_87345" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="A picture released by Fars News Agency on December...… Read more
[caption id="attachment_87996" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Iranian-American Amir Mirza Hekmati, who has been...… Read more
Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs