Trump’s Iran war has left the Gulf shattered: US bases turned into targets, economies battered, and the “oasis” myth destroyed. Gulf rulers now confront a harsh reckoning over their reliance on Washington and the uncertain search for a new, fragile security order As Trump assembled major US naval and air assets in the eastern Mediterranean…
Trump never tested serious, sustained diplomacy to resolve the wide-ranging, conflicting issues with Iran; instead, he defaulted to the illusion that enough bombs could “end” a conflict that has spanned nearly five decades. This war with Iran is a war of choice, and a reckless one at that. President Trump has floated a carousel of…
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have launched a campaign against Iran with maximalist aims and minimalist means. They speak the language of regime change, but the political, military, and social preconditions are not present. The result will not be transformation in Tehran, but a high-risk spiral toward open-ended war that may engulf the region and…
As the US-Iran negotiations regarding the latter’s nuclear program and the threat of attacking Iran loom high, both the Trump administration and Iran ought to consider very carefully the potentially colossal regional repercussions if they do not reach an agreement. If Netanyahu convinces Trump during their meeting, at the time of this writing, that attacking…
Unlike ever before, Iran’s Islamic regime is facing a revolt led by a generation that has lost its fear. Young and old, men and women, students and workers, are flooding the streets across the country. Iran’s future may well hinge on whether its military chooses to act and save the country, driven by economic collapse,…
The ancient quote from the Greek philosopher Phaedrus, to not let success go to one’s head and inflating one’s ego, which can lead to terrible failure, is a timeless warning to Trump and Netanyahu. Having tested the sweetness of Israel’s impressive success in destroying many sensitive sites in Iran and killing top military commanders and…
The Trump administration’s pursuit of a negotiated agreement over Iran’s nuclear program is the only sound policy that can prevent a regional conflagration. Beyond that, it offers a unique opportunity that can change the regional security trajectory and potentially usher in long-term peace and stability The negotiations between the United States and Iran over Iran’s…
As Iran is currently weighing whether or not to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah, the US and Israel should make it possible for Tehran not to retaliate without losing face and potentially avert further escalation of the conflict if not a regional war. Following the assassination of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General…
All past efforts to block Iran’s march toward becoming a nuclear power have failed. It is time for the US and Israel to develop a new strategy that factors in the possibility that Iran will become a nuclear power but renders it futile without using force or levying new sanctions while creating a new sustainable…