Month: October 2024

Gaza is a war without end. American interests must be reassessed.

From the very beginning of the armed conflict ignited by the Hamas atrocities of October 7, 2023, US officials have counseled their Israeli counterparts to identify achievable political objectives and embed them in whatever military operations might ensue. “Don’t make the mistakes we made in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan,” warned the Americans. “Understand that in

Experts react: Israel has hit back at Iran with airstrikes. Is this the road to war or an off-ramp?

“Lethal, precise, and above all, surprising.” That’s how Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier this month described the strikes that Israel would launch against Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack against Israel. In the predawn hours on Saturday, Israel launched a series of airstrikes against Iranian military infrastructure in and around

Jonathan Panikoff testifies before the Canadian House of Commons, Standing Committee on National Defence

Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Program, testifies before the Canadian House of Commons, Standing Committee on National Defence (NDDN) on recent Iranian activities in the region. Below are his prepared remarks. Members of the Committee – Thank you for the opportunity to again appear

Moldovan and Georgian elections highlight Russia’s regional ambitions

Georgians go to the polls this weekend in a parliamentary election that is widely expected to determine whether the country will pursue integration with Moscow or the West. This closely mirrors the situation in Moldova, where voters face a similar choice on November 3 when the country holds the second round of its presidential election.

North Korean troops could help Putin avoid a risky Russian mobilization

North Korea has sent troops to Russia, United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on October 23. Austin is the latest senior Western official to raise the alarm over the deployment of North Korean soldiers to Russia amid fears that the Hermit Kingdom is poised to participate directly in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President

Tragic death of aid worker underscores Gaza’s postwar challenge

Hamas’s recent alleged killing of an aid worker from a US-based nonprofit highlights the security challenges looming in Gaza’s postwar future. On September 27, Islam Hejazy, the Gaza program manager of the US nonprofit HEAL Palestine, was shot and killed by multiple gunmen in a drive-by shooting in Khan Younis. While Hamas claimed the incident

North Korean troops are in Russia. Here’s why.

GET UP TO SPEED They’re already there. On Wednesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that North Korean troops are in Russia, backing up earlier reports from South Korean intelligence. This news came as Ukrainian intelligence officials warned that thousands of North Korean soldiers will soon be deployed to Kursk, near Russian territory that

Balancing a culture of secrecy and collaboration: Information sharing with hostage families

Hostage and wrongful detention cases remain a key US national security priority regardless of the fact that they represent a relatively small number of instances, as their impacts reverberate well beyond the hostage and their family. Countries like China, Russia, Iran, and Venezuela have adopted the practice of wrongful detention—hostage-taking by state actors—precisely because they