When Vladimir Putin first embarked on the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he sought to disguise the attack as an act of self-defense while claiming Russia had no interest in occupying Ukrainian territory. “We do not plan to impose ourselves on anyone,” he declared. With the invasion now fast approaching the two-year mark, the Russian dictator
On January 15, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for missile attacks into Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, that killed four and may have wounded as many as seventeen. The attacks largely hit civilian areas, killing a well-known Kurdish real estate developer and four members of his family. According
In mid-December, I received harrowing news: The mother and uncle of an active-duty Palestinian-American US Army soldier were trapped inside northern Gaza in a Hamas-controlled enclave behind the front lines of the group’s war with Israel. The soldier’s brother explained that the US military and Department of State told him that his mother was on
On December 29, 2023, South Africa brought a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague over allegations of genocide against the Palestinian people. Hearings on South Africa’s request for provisional measures are being held on January 11 and 12. The Atlantic Council’s Lisandra Novo, who previously was a judicial
Consequences were promised . . . and delivered. Last month, the United States formed a coalition of more than twenty nations called Operation Prosperity Guardian to respond to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Last week, the United States, along with allies and partners, issued a stark warning to the Houthis to stop
JUST IN They’re seeing red. On Thursday, the United States and the United Kingdom carried out air and missile strikes in Yemen after weeks of attacks by the Houthis on shipping vessels in the Red Sea that had disrupted global commerce. Will these strikes deter the Iranian proxy group from further attacks? Will they embroil
The year 2023 was supposed to be China’s big break in the Middle East. It began in March, when China brokered a historic détente between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, sidelining the United States. The image of China’s top diplomat Wang Yi beaming with Saudi and Iranian ministers in Beijing prompted swift comparison by
In Season 1, Episode 10 of the Guns for Hire podcast, host Alia Brahimi is joined by Renad Mansour, an expert on Iraq, Iran, and allied groups. As the region convulses from the war in Gaza, they begin by assessing reports that the Wagner Group has been tasked with transferring a Russian air defense system
As Israel’s relentless onslaught on the Gaza Strip enters its fourth month, Egypt—which is suffering the ramifications of the ongoing war on its northern border—has, in recent weeks ramped up its mediation efforts to broker a permanent ceasefire. But despite inching closer to a new hostage release deal, the assassination of Hamas’ Deputy Leader Saleh
