Paying off Iran has never worked
Is it cheaper to pay off the mafia than to fight it? This is the moral dilemma the world is now facing with Iran and nobody has the right answer. For 40...
The growth of Arab-China strategic ties
After decades of complete dependence on a single external power, mainly the US, the Gulf countries have concluded that strategic autonomy requires multiple credible relationships and that China, whatever its limitations, now...
US-Iran deal shifts the mood at France’s G7
French President Emmanuel Macron this week hosted the G7 summit of leaders from North America, Europe, and Japan. Yet it was the Iran crisis that framed the big event. The new memorandum...
How Iran, the US and the Gulf can build something that lasts
Saudi Arabia began where any serious reading of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran had to begin — with the one issue everything else hinges on: the security of navigation...
US-Iran deal must not become another Gaza peace plan
The peace agreement to end the war was signed with much fanfare. It was welcomed across the Middle East and by the international community. US President Donald Trump declared that “a new...
Why an Iran-US agreement threatens Israel’s strategy
As diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran continue to inch forward, one thing has become increasingly clear: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views the prospect of a successful US-Iran agreement not as...
America at 250: Alliances, energy and the future cargo
On Feb. 14, 1945, in the Great Bitter Lake of the Suez Canal, President Franklin D. Roosevelt met King Abdulaziz aboard the USS Quincy. The American president was returning from Yalta. The...
The US-Iran agreement’s most alarming clause
In the promised “memorandum of understanding” or “framework agreement” between Iran and the US, there are many important commitments, all of which could serve as seeds for forthcoming geopolitical changes. However, it...
Iran MOU would cap self-defeating ceasefire for Trump, marks huge problem for Israel
As US president waxes optimistic about chances for a 60-day deal with Tehran, Netanyahu seems unsure of how to react. Spinning this as victory before the...
Global focus shifts to hot spots beyond Iran
While an agreement to end the Iran crisis has yet to be signed, attention is increasingly turning to other geopolitical challenges that might become hot spots in the future. Perhaps the key...