Research & Commentary Results

Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Oct. 1, 2024, marked a significant escalation in the ongoing regional tensions. This assault, reportedly involving 180 missiles, was the Islamic Republic of Iran’s largest yet against Israel, targeting military and security sites in retaliation for Israeli assassinations of leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas in Tehran and Beirut. Iranian officials framed the attack as an act of self-defense, warning that further Israeli actions could provoke even stronger retaliation from Tehran.

The strategic alliance between Pakistan and China, driven largely by opportunism and geostrategic interests, seems unshakable. However, the extent of its mutual benefit remains under scrutiny, especially for Islamabad, whose reliance on Beijing continues to deepen. Although China claims to base its foreign policy interactions on five key principles — respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence — its dealings with Pakistan indicate an unequal power dynamic that primarily serves its own interests. This imbalance in the Pakistan-China strategic alliance has led to a situation in which Islamabad’s autonomy is increasingly curtailed, and its vulnerability to Beijing’s influence is becoming more apparent.

عندما زار الرئيس محمد بن زايد آل نهيان (MbZ) رئيس دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة البيت الأبيض في 23 سبتمبر، كان البيان المشترك بين الولايات المتحدة والإمارات العربية المتحدة أحد أكثر البيانات شمولاً حتى الآن، حيث تضمن تعهدات بالتعاون في جميع القطاعات التكنولوجية تقريباً، وأشار إلى هدف واضح يتمثل في تحويل العلاقات الثنائية بعيداً عن الهيدروكربونات.

إن دورة الانتقام ضد أصول الطاقة، على الرغم من أنها بعيدة كل البعد عن أن تكون نتيجة مضمونة، ستكون ضارة للجميع ولن تعود بالنفع على أحد.

The killing of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah along with the rapid degradation of Hezbollah’s power over the past two weeks signals a tectonic shift in the Middle East.

In the latest installment of the Defense Rapid Reaction series, experts from MEI’s Defense & Security Program provide their views on the likely evolution of the Israeli-Hezbollah war, the potential for the conflict to draw in outside actors, as well as the impact of the war on global terrorist recruitment and appeal for extremist activities.

The deadly, back-to-back pager/two-way radio attacks against Hezbollah, which killed dozens and wounded thousands of its operatives, undoubtedly signaled a new phase in the intense cross-border exchanges between the group and Israel.

Over the past few days, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has entered a precarious new phase, with Israel carrying out both unconventional attacks and heavy airstrikes against the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, while Hezbollah has responded with an increase in retaliatory fire. 

Three years since the US and allied withdrawal from Afghanistan, the facts on the ground challenge some more optimistic depictions of the Taliban’s counterterrorism cooperation with the US, al-Qaeda’s reemergence, or the capacity of ISKP to direct external attacks that could threaten American interests.

After more than six months of talks, the United States and Iraq look set to announce a significant agreement stipulating that the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition will withdraw entirely from the country over the next two years.

في أروقة السلطة في بروكسل، من الشائع سماع أن منصب الممثل الأعلى للاتحاد الأوروبي للشؤون الخارجية والسياسة الأمنية هو مهمة مستحيلة. وقد يصبح الأمر أكثر صعوبة بالنسبة لرئيسة الوزراء الإستونية المنتهية ولايتها كاجا كالاس، التي من المقرر أن تخلف الإسباني جوزيب بوريل كرئيسة للسياسة الخارجية للاتحاد الأوروبي في الأسابيع المقبلة.

Azerbaijan seeks to establish itself as a major actor in the global energy transition space as it prepares to host the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, on November 11-22. COP29 offers many opportunities to improve US-Azerbaijani energy cooperation, including by coordinating the United States’ clean energy technology goals with Azerbaijan’s renewable energy revolution.

After the Cold War, the Romanian government chose to slim down its sizeable defense industry, but it essentially maintained its state-backed structure, personnel, and management, thus producing a thoroughly inefficient system. Today, Romania retains a proclivity to purchase Western, and particularly American, defense equipment; but it has often neglected any thorough assessments of life cycle costs or real force design considerations.

تشكل الجهود المستمرة التي تبذلها مختلف الفصائل في ليبيا للسيطرة على البنك المركزي الليبي (CBL) خطراً واضحاً ومحدقاً على البلد بأسره، مما يهدد سلامته وأمنه واقتصاده.