On Tuesday, Iran used missiles and drones to strike western Pakistan near Koh-e-Sabz. On Thursday, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in southeastern Iran near Saravan, then released a statement claiming that “Iran is a brotherly country.” More than a sibling squabble is going on here. Iran and Pakistan were apparently targeting hideouts of armed non-state actors—Jaish al-Adl
It’s a title fight. On Wednesday, the United States designated the Yemen-based Houthi rebels, also called Ansar Allah, as a specially designated global terrorist (SDGT) group. Recent attacks by the Iran-backed group on Red Sea shipping “fit the textbook definition of terrorism,” explained National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. The Biden administration’s label, which follows US
ORIGINAL SOURCE On January 16, IPSI nonresident senior fellow Brad Gericke spoke on an episode of NucleCast, a podcast produced by the Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center. He discussed the situation leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the perspective of the intelligence community during this time. Fellow Bradley T. Gericke Nonresident Senior
Hamas hostage-taking is a standing threat to global security. If this crime is left unaddressed and its victims go without redress, international norms will be severely eroded, and the world risks witnessing a rise in hostage-taking and terrorist atrocities. Hamas’ atrocities on October 7, 2023 featured the largest international hostage-taking in modern history. Inhumane acts—including
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
ORIGINAL SOURCE On January 18, an article written by Andrew Michta, Director and Senior Fellow in the Scowcroft Strategy Initiative, was featured in RealClearWorld discussing how the United States requires a new national security strategy to better address both the war in Ukraine and larger “period of protracted systemic instability worldwide.” Washington is in need
ORIGINAL SOURCE On January 14, Andrew Michta, Director and Senior Fellow of the Scowcroft Strategy Initiative, was published by Politico on why Congress’s failure to pass the Ukraine aid package in December 2023 demonstrates that the United States should develop a new national security strategy. He argues that “the U.S. and its allies should have
US President Joe Biden should be applauded for Thursday’s strikes against the Houthis. International trade is constrained by eight primary maritime chokepoints, hard realities imposed by immutable geography. The United States has long recognized a vital national security interest in ensuring freedom of navigation through each of them. This strike helped protect those interests. Half
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
