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Archive, Challenging Disarmament Disinformation, Strategic AdversariesCOVID-19, denuclearization, Gaza, Hiroshima, nagasaki, Nuclear Deterrence, nuclear disarmament, nuclear pandemic, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, world war III, WWIII

The Consequences of Nuclear Disarmament

Aaron Holland & Joe Buff0 Comments

Advocates of nuclear abolition wish humanity could live in a world without nuclear weapons. However, results of such a policy could be catastrophic. Bad actors, for example, would likely cheat…

Deterrence & Foreign PolicyAfghanistan, Middle East, Syria, United States, Yemen

When it Comes to Security in the Middle East and Afghanistan, Climate Change is a Looming Threat

Perry Lum & Lilly Blumenthal

In response to the Taliban retaking power in Afghanistan, the United States and international donors have suspended aid and frozen billions of dollars in assets. The country, which is highly…

DiplomacyIraq, Lebanon, Middle East, Russia, Syria, United Nations, United States

Middle East Versus the West? How a UN Diplomat’s Christian Perspective Resonates with Today

Lora Karch

“Lack of love. Strategy, commerce, exploitation, securing an imperial route: these were why the West, for the most part, came to the Near East, not because it loved us. Add…

Defense & SecurityAl Qaeda, COVID-19, Iraq, ISIS, Syria, Terrorism

COVID-19 and the Increasing Risk of Terrorism

Mohamed ELDoh

There is no doubt that the global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of life. From how we interact with one another to how we commute and work, people…

Defense & SecurityNATO, Syria, United States

Are The U.S. And Its Partners Losing Their Grip On Syria’s North East?

Ahmad al-Khaled

The oil-rich province of Deir ez-Zor, located in Eastern Syria, has witnessed another escalation between the local Arab populace and the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Unexpectedly for the SDF…

Deterrence & Foreign PolicyRussia, Syria, Turkey, United States

The American Plan for Syria

Hashim Abid

It’s been nearly a decade since the war in Syria began due to public discontent towards the regime’s handling of the country’s political affairs. Resentment grew into open revolt, which…

Defense & SecurityIraq, ISIS, Syria, Terrorism, United States

Now That Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is Dead, What Next?

Alan Lis

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, was killed on the 26th of October in a raid carried out by U.S. Special Forces when he detonated a suicide…

EnergyEnergy, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, United States

Rethinking U.S. Energy Security to Hedge Against Heightened Instability in the Middle East

Connor Sutherland

As U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the September 2019 attack on the Abqaiq and Khurais oil fields in Saudi Arabia, he defined the incident as “an…

Defense & SecurityIndia, Iraq, ISIS, Sri Lanka, Syria

Sri Lanka: Jihadism and Separatism in an Ethnically-Divided Country

Paolo Zucconi

On April 21st, Sri Lanka suffered from several lethal terrorist attacks that killed at least 359 people and injured over 500 more. Of the victims, thirty-five were citizens of foreign…

Defense & SecurityHezbollah, Iran, Iraq, IRGC, ISIS, Lebanon, Syria, United States

Designating the IRGC as a Terrorist Group: Consequences for U.S. Forces

Ali Arfa

The obsession in the United States with the “war on terror” entered a new phase when U.S. President Donald Trump formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign…

Defense & SecurityHezbollah, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, United States

Conflict and Competition in the Middle East Will Persist Throughout 2019

Vincent Lofaso

In previous years, interest in the Middle East was largely focused on ISIS (DAESH). This year, however, that focus will shift towards Iran. As the threat from the extremist Sunni…

Defense & SecurityIran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United States

What’s in an Iranian Drone’s Name?

Ali Arfa

Iranians are skilled in the localization of almost anything Western or foreign. This is partly because of the nationalist, anti-imperialist promises of the 1979 revolution, and partly due to U.S.…