In a high-risk move, Israel ramps up escalation against Hezbollah
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.
Navigating the shadows: Afghanistan’s terrorism landscape three years after the US withdrawal and its international implications
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.
المرشحون المستبعدون والمعارضة المهمشة قبل الانتخابات الرئاسية التونسية
قبل أن يدلي الناخبون التونسيون بأصواتهم في الانتخابات الرئاسية في 6 أكتوبر/تشرين الأول، كانت المؤسسات الحكومية قد أدلت برأيها بالفعل. فقد قامت أجهزة الأمن والسلطات القضائية والهيئة العليا المستقلة للانتخابات (ISIE) إما بعرقلة أو منع أكثر من عشرة مرشحين محتملين من الترشح. ومن بين المرشحين الثلاثة المؤهلين الذين وافقت عليهم ISIE رسمياً، لم يبق خارج السجن سوى الرئيس قيس سعيد وزهير مغزاوي، أحد مؤيدي سعيد السابقين. تم اعتقال المرشح عياشي زامل في 6 سبتمبر. حاول العديد من المرشحين المحتملين الآخرين الترشح من السجن أو تم سجنهم بتهمة انتهاك تقني لقوانين الانتخابات. من خلال تقييد قائمة المرشحين المحتملين فعليًا إلى اثنين، تبنّت مؤسسات الدولة دورها الأبوي والتحديثي التاريخي تجاه مواطنين لا يثقون بها.
As the U.S. leaves Iraq, it can’t leave the door open for ISIS
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.
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.
مع وصول الشرق الأوسط إلى حافة الهاوية، كيف يمكن للولايات المتحدة إعادة ضبط ردها؟
The Middle East teeters on the precipice of a substantial escalation, threatening to more fully draw in Lebanon, Iran, and perhaps other countries. What happens in the coming days, along with the decisions made by adversaries and allies alike, will determine if that happens.
Israel and the Axis of Resistance in the wake of the Gaza war
Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack touched off a destructive war with Israel and a limited but fierce regional conflagration between Israel and the Iran-led “Axis of Resistance,” with Lebanese Hezbollah at the forefront. The ongoing conflict has been multi-fronted, multi-faceted, dynamic, and already highly consequential. While a clear bottom line remains elusive, exploring the war’s primary origins and evolution offers useful indicators.
The impact of Turkish-Syrian normalization on the SDF
As speculation continues about a possible Turkish-Syrian normalization, what might such a process mean for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a close US ally? In a new piece for MEI, Amer al-Ahmed lays out three possible scenarios for the future of the SDF amid normalization.
